SHRUBBERIES AND FLOWER-GARDENS. ClIAP' 



of the walk, few or no weeds will come eren on its edges ; 

 but, if they should they must be eradicated as soon as 

 they appear. Some leaves will fall even in summer, and 

 the walk must be swept with a soft broom once in the 

 week, at least. 



314. But grass is another great ornament, and, per- 

 haps, if kept in neat order, the greatest of all. If grass 

 be about to be laid down, the ground should be well pre- 

 pared : if too poor to keep the grass fresh through a hot 

 Summer, it should be made richer, and always deeply 

 moved. The next thing is, to keep the ground, whether 

 on the sides of terraces, on a slope, or on a level, per- 

 fectly smooth and even on the surface. To sow grass is 

 not the way to have fine grass plats ; but to cut the turf 

 from a common or from some very ancient and closely- 

 pressed pasture where the herbage is fine. From our 

 finest Downs, or from spots in our Commons, the turf is 

 generally taken 5 and, short grass, as the gardeners call 

 it, is seen in perfection, I believe, no where but in Eng- 

 land. The old DUKE of ORLEANS, shewing sir FEDERICK 

 EDEN his gardens at Chantilly, coming to a grass-plat, 

 said, here is something that you will like, at any rate 3 

 and then he told him that the turf of which the plat was 

 formed was actually imported from England, and cut 

 upon Epsom Down. The grass cut with a turfing-iron 

 made for the purpose, is rolled up, just like a piece of 

 cloth, green-sward inwards, the strips are cut by a line : 

 and cut into pieces of from two to four feet long. These 

 are laid down in the fall of the year on the place where 

 they are to grow : they are placed and pressed up very 

 closely together, being; well beaten down with the back 



