15° 



MECHANICAL. 



times before the first of August, and had 

 the appearance of an old thickset sod. 



Neither in the preparation and forma- 

 tion of a lawn, nor in its keeping in this 

 climate, are there any half-way com- 

 promises. The work must be done thor- 

 oughly to begin with, and then timely at- 

 tention to cutting all through the grow- 

 ing season will insure a satisfactory result. 

 Neither soil nor climate can justly be 

 blamed for poor lawns, although it is a 

 convenient mode of shifting responsi- 

 bility, and one frequently adopted. 



As already remarked, lawn mowing 

 machines will not operate to any good 

 purpose where the grass is long ; hence 

 it has been recommended to leave the 

 cut grass as a mulch. During the first 

 year this course may be followed with 

 advantage ; but experience shows that a 

 long continuance of the practice injures 

 the lawn very materially, particularly dur- 

 ing early spring, or late in the season. 

 In the hottest portion of summer the cut 

 grass dries up so thoroughly as to be but 

 .of slight influence either way. 



The lawn will be benefited by a top 

 dressing once in three or four years; not, 

 however, by throwing over it an unsightly 

 covering of rough, strawy litter, which, 

 however beneficial, is not commendable 

 in neatly kept grounds. A compost made 

 up of fresh stable manure and any ordina- 

 rily good surface soil, thrown together in 

 layers, and intermixed and pulverized by 

 frequent turnings during the summer, will 

 be in condition for application any time 

 in early winter. This should be evenly 

 .distributed, broken up, and raked in 

 .among the roots, taking advantage of 

 frost to assist in the work of disintegra- 

 tion, and removing the rougher portions 

 altogether before rolling the lawn in the 

 •.spring. 



FENCES and HEDGES.— Some sort of 

 Ifence is usually necessary to guard against 

 intruders, or to designate ownership, and 

 the kind of fence used will generally be 

 governed by necessity. 



Whatever materials may be used for 

 outside fences, they should be strong and 

 substantial. Inside fences for such pur- 

 poses as that of separating the lawn from 

 the vegetable garden may be of lighter 

 .construction ; especially if a fence crosses 

 a lawn, as seen from the house with an 

 dopen view beyond, it should be as light 



and elegant as is consistent with strength 

 and durability. In such cases it is often 

 desired to conceal the fence, as an intru- 

 sive object in the landscape, by adopting 

 the sunken fence. This maybe described 

 as a ditch-like excavation four or five feet 

 in depth, finished by a perpendicular wall 

 on the lawn side, and the ground flatly 

 sloped on the opposite. 



The propriety of persistently conceal- 

 ing the fence in such positions may be 

 questioned. Utility is a strong element 

 of the beautiful, and if no visible barrier 

 intervenes between the pleasure ground 

 and a grazing field, we at once condemn 

 the incongruity. We cannot distinguish 

 where the flower garden ends or the graz- 

 ing meadow begins, and must suppose 

 that the cattle can perambulate the flow- 

 er garden if they choose ; we can imagine 

 the result, and we feel that a fence be- 

 comes a necessity to separate objects that 

 cannot well be united without injury to one 

 or both. Wire fences are well adapted to 

 this purpose, as they are so light as not 

 materially to interrupt the view; and if 

 properly constructed, are sufficiently 

 strong and permanent. 



Even in those happy communities 

 where cattle are not permitted to run at 

 large, some kind of fence will be neces- 

 sary to designate boundary lines of prop- 

 erty. It has been claimed that the high- 

 est degree of rural beauty is a village 

 without fences, or any other distinctive 

 marks to properties. As well might it be 

 claimed that the best arrangement in a 

 picture gallery will be produced by taking 

 the paintings out of the frames and nail- 

 ing the canvas to the walls. The love of 

 exclusive possession is a mainstay of 

 society. Well-defined boundary lines to 

 property greatly enhance its enjoyment, 

 especially when applied to lawns and gar- 

 dens. 



For this purpose the live fence is by 

 far the most appropriate, and that formed 

 of evergreen plants the most permanent- 

 ly beautiful. The Siberian arbor vitae, 

 Nootka cypress, and hemlock spruce are 

 among the best for northern climates. 

 In the South the Chinese arbor vitae, Ja- 

 pan euonymus, and other evergreen 

 shrubs may be added to the list. If de- 

 ciduous plants are preferred, a selection 

 may be made from the following list: 

 Japan quince, buckthorn, elseagnus, Ta- 



