24 PRACTICAL FLORICULTURE. 



supply of food to the plants that has been exhausted, -the 

 organic matter formed by decaying leaves or sods having 

 been expended by the crops. 



Supply this want by fertilizers, and you again have the 

 land in its primitive fertile condition ; but this must be 

 continued, or the crops will again show indications of the 

 soil being " worn out," but quicker, of course, on a thin 

 soil than on a deep one. Hence the importance of select- 

 ing, when a choice can be had, a deep soil, with a subsoil 

 of sand or gravel. 



CHAPTER V. 



THE PREPARATION FOR NEW AND THE RENOVATION 

 OF OLD LAWNS. 



It may be questioned whether or not the subjects of 

 Lawns or Landscape Gardening, come under the province 

 of the florist; it may not in his own business directly, but 

 hundreds of florists are appealed to every season by their 

 patrons for information on this matter, so that even the 

 brief directions I am able to give, I know will be welcomed 

 by many. 



The preparation for the lawn is usually preliminary to 

 the laying out of the flower-beds in grounds having pre- 

 tentions to the modern style of gardening. It is the 

 foundation of all subsequent operations, and if imperfectly 

 done, it can hardly ever be remedied afterwards. 



We not unfrequently see, after a dwelling costing, 5, 

 10, 20, or 30,000 dollars is erected, that the grounds sur- 

 rounding it are left to the tender mercy of some ignorant 

 pretender to grade and put in shape. The educated, in- 

 telligent architect's duties, in many cases end with the 

 completion of the building, and the "garden architect" 

 likely some pretentious laborer is installed to grade for 

 the lawn, and a common consequence is, that the beauty 



