TKe LaAvn — An Important Part of tKe Home Surroundings 





To have a nice even lawn the ground 

 ust first be properly prepared. This 

 cannot be attained simply by leveUing 

 the hills into the hollows. If this is done, 

 e jplaces where the hills were will be 



-A.. H. E-wing', W^oodstocK, Ont. 



when you are finished without your 

 spectacles. Forty or fifty pounds to an 

 acre is said to be the right quantity, 

 but that is rather indefinite to most people. 

 Some rake the seed in, but I prefer 



A Lovely Home Surrounded by Lawns 



The west lawn at "Altadorc." Mr. H. A. Little's residence, at Woodstock. 



some "country" residences. 



One of Canada's hand- 



r soil and the grass when grown will 



ik patchy and will wither much more 



ickly in dry weather than the grass 



'here the hollows were and where there 



a good depth of top soil. I have, in 



my mind's eye, a lawn where twenty 



years or so ago there were flower beds 



and cinder paths. These were dug and 



covered with a light coat of soil. To 



this day the pattern of those beds and 



paths is plainly visible, especially in 



dry weather. 



The land should be ploughed or dug 



^and levelled to the desired contour, 



^fcoughed or dug again, and well worked 



^B an even depth, and give a good coat 



^^B old, well-rotted manure, especially on 



^^Be poor spots. This should be well 



^Borked in. It is preferable to do this 



^K the fall so that the ground may settle 



P^pd be again levelled as early as possible 



tn the spring and the seed sown at once. 



I Before sowing go over the land with a 



: • rake and pull off all stones and lumps 



that cannot be broken. At the same 



time make the surface perfectly even. 



Procure the best lawn grass seed from 

 a reputable seedsman— be particular 

 about this as it will save future trouble 

 with weeds — and sow broadcast on some 

 very still day. Early morning is gen- 

 erally the best time. Sow it thick, too, 

 so that you can see it on the ground 



leaving it alone. The best plan is not 

 to touch the lawn the first time until 

 the grass is long enough to be cut with 

 a scythe, unless the mowing machine is 



very sharp and in good order. It is 

 better not to cut it until it is strong and 

 has a good hold of the ground. After 

 the first cutting, the grass plants (and 

 clover, too, if you have sown it) will 

 soon cover the ground and stand cutting 

 whenever needed. The machine should 

 not be set to cut too low the first year. 

 There are sure to be some weeds, but 

 many of them will die after being cut off 

 with the machine a few times. Dande- 

 lions, plaintain and ox-eye daisies can 

 not be killed so easily. These must be 

 pulled or spudded. 



A good lawn can be obtained much 

 more quickly if clean sod can be secured 

 at a reasonable rate from a nearby pas- 

 ture. Sodding can be done almost any 

 season of the year (except ' winter) es- 

 pecially where plenty of water is at hand. 

 Spring and early fall are the best times. 

 The same preparation of the ground is 

 necessary as for seeding. In cities or. 

 places where the plot is likely to be 

 tramped, sodding is much the better 

 way to start a lawn. Seeding is a pre- 

 carious proceeding and not advisable. 



There are many points in the making 

 of a lawn that the uninitiated might 

 want to know. Every place has its own 

 particular points, and I propose, if the 

 editor thinks I know enough about it, 

 to write more on the subject in the near 

 future. The keeping up of old lawns 

 will be treated. In the meantime I 

 shall be pleased to receive questions 

 from anyone proposing to make a lawn 

 and to embody the replies in my next 

 contributions. 



A Sweep of Lawn Like This Adds a Homelike Appearance 



This illustration shows the south lawn of the residence of H. A. Little, Esq., of Woodstock, 

 formerly owned by the late Hon. James Sutherland. 



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