LAWNS AND PLAYGROUNDS. 359 



the open park or playground. Flower beds are often set in turf, or 

 there are small grassy spaces near the house or the garden, on the good 

 effect of which depends very much the beauty of the home landscape, as 

 coming so much into the foreground of what should be pictures. One 

 reason why we should take care to get the best turf which the conditions 

 of soil or climate allow is that no other country but ours can have such 

 good turf. In many countries, even in Europe, they cannot have it at 

 all, but grass seed has to be sown every year to get some semblance of 

 turf. Where, however, our natural advantages are so great, our care 

 should be to get the full benefit of them ; and though in many places 

 the turf, through the goodness of the soil, is all that could be desired 

 even in Britain, in others a very poor turf is often seen, and much effort 

 is often given in vain attempts to get a turf worthy of a flower garden. 



Many people think that any rough preparation will secure them a 

 good sward, and merely trench and turf the ground ; even experienced 

 ground workmen fail to get a fine turf for the flower garden, though 

 they may lay turf well enough for a cricket ground. Others think 

 that turf will come of itself, but are often rudely disappointed ; 

 and therefore some instructions as to the best way of laying down 

 turf, where the work has to be done from the beginning, and also for 

 repairing it when out of order, may be useful to some readers. The 

 following is written by Mr. James Burnham, who has made for me 

 some of the most beautiful garden lawns I have seen, some of them 

 laid in hot spring weather. 



" FORMATION OF GOOD TURF. Should the spot chosen be on 

 heavy soil, such as clay, take the levels and fix them 16 feet apart 

 around the outside of the piece intended for a lawn Take some 

 levels across the piece, then take 12 inches of earth out below the levels. 

 Should any of these 12 inches contain good soil, wheel that on to the 

 outside of the piece, removing all the clay to a place near and burning it 

 into ballast, using slack coal. Find the natural fall of the ground, and 

 place pegs 16 feet apart in lines from top to bottom the way it falls, 

 then dig out the soil in line of pegs with a draining tool, 12 inches deep 

 at top end, bottom end 1 8 inches deep. This will give a fall of 6 inches. 

 Then lay in 2-inch drain pipes, with a 3-inch pipe at the bottom end for 

 a main to take the water that drains from the sub-soil. See that this 

 main is taken to some outlet. Cover the pipes with 3 inches of burnt 

 ballast, and spread 3 inches of burnt ballast all over the piece of ground. 

 Dig the ground over 12 inches deep, at the same time mixing the 3 

 inches of burnt ballast with the clay, taking care not to disturb the 

 pipes or dig below them. After treading all over firmly, place on the 

 surface 2 inches of burnt ballast, filling to the level with loam mixed with 



