SOIL AND LAWNS 



should be watered frequently; persistent weeds should 

 be taken out with a knife; the bare spots, if any occur, 

 should be resown, and every autumn and spring the 

 ground should be fertilized again. The idea that a lawn 

 once made can endure unaided forever is as fallacious 

 as the belief that hardy plants will thrive without the 

 assistance of the gardener. 



Grass, it is true, is a perennial, recurring year 

 after year. It is not so strong, however, as many 

 weeds, and therefore can be quickly overridden, since 

 it is dependent on unstinted nourishment. 



Every one, perhaps, has his ideal of a lawn. There 

 comes now to my mind one, of such exquisite texture 

 and dignity of position, that it seems as if but one 

 opinion could exist concerning its beauty. It is 

 placed, not at the front of the house, but at the rear, 

 and is approached by way of a large, formal garden. 

 When one passes this garden the lawn comes into view 

 as a broad and expanding picture, such as nature plans 

 when in her pleasantest mood. From the garden it 

 slopes slightly downward to a level, extensive center, 

 and then appears to be graded gradually upward until 

 lost at the base of the trees bounding it on all sides 

 but that of the garden. These trees actually seclude 

 the lawn as completely as if it were hidden by the 

 dense thickets of the woods. Not until one is on this 

 lawn can its size really be appreciated. Seats snuggled 

 under the great trees and a rustic house at a far side 

 give it points of interest. I noticed, also, that a few 

 large rocks had been left in their original places. The 

 surfaces of these were softened by the red honeysuckle 



[9] 



