108 



THE CANADIAN HUKTICDLTURTST. 



HINTS ON THE FORMATION AND IMPROVE- 

 MENT OF GARDEN LAWNS, CROQUET 

 GROUNDS, CRICKET GROUNDS, TENNIS 

 LAWNS, ETC. 



BT JOHN A. BRIX'K, HAMILTON. 



In the tii-st place, careful preparation 

 of the ground proposed to be laid down 

 to turf is necessary. This should be 

 commenced in the autumn by draining, 

 if found requisite, and digging to the 

 depth of six to twelve inches, according 

 to the nature of the soil. When this 

 has been done, the land should be 

 levelled and made firm with the spade 

 and subsequently raked, to remove 

 stones, etc. Should the natural soil be 

 too stony, it will be advisable to pro- 

 cui*e a supply of good mould, and spread 

 this over the land to the depth of two 

 or three inches. If the soil is poor, 

 some well-rotted stable dung will be 

 very beneficial. Where this cannot be 

 obtained, we woiild advise, as the best 

 dressing of artificial manure, 200 lbs. 

 of superphosphate of lime and 100 

 lbs. of Peruvian Guano per acre. In 

 April, after the ground has been made 

 thoroughly fine and clean, a heavy ii'on 

 roller should be used to make it per- 

 fectly level, and as the subsequent 

 appearance of the lawn depends in a 

 great measure on this part of the pre- 

 paration, we cannot too sti'ongly urge 

 the importance of its being well done. 

 The ground should then be evenly raked 

 and the seed sown. April or May, and 

 September, ai'e the best months for 

 sov/ing. As to the .sorts of seeds suita- 

 ble for garden lawns, etc., we can, 

 after a long course of personal obser- 

 vation of the numerous kinds which 

 have come under our notice, confidently 

 recommend the mixture described be- 

 low as most certain to produce a close 

 velvety turf. 



After the sowing has been accom- 

 plished the ground should be again 

 rolled, and as soon as the young plants 

 have attained the lieii{ht of two or three 



inches, the whole crop should be care- 

 fully gone over with a sharp scythe. 

 Frequent mowings and rollings are in- 

 dispensable to maintain the turf in good 

 order. By adopting these means a 

 close, green sward will be obtained in 

 nearly as short a time as a lawn pro- 

 duced by sodding, while it will be far 

 more permanent and at much less ex- 

 pense. 



It will sometimes happen that annual 

 weeds, indigenous to the soil, come up; 

 these can easily be checked, if not des- 

 troyed, by mowing them off as soon as 

 tJiey make their appearance. Plantain, 

 dandelions, and sometimes thistles, too, 

 will often appear, and these must be 

 cut up, each one singly, about one inch 

 below the surface (not deeper), and 

 about a teaspoonfui of salt dropped o^er 

 the cut part. Birds are very fond of 

 grass seeds, and care should be taken 

 to keep them off until the seeds are 

 well up. 



For lawns requiring improvement it 

 is only necessaiy to sow fresh seed, 

 either in the spring or autumn, using a 

 small tooth rake, and rolling afterwards. 

 Moss in lawns is generally a sign of 

 poorness in the soil or want of drainage. 

 To effect its removal we advise after 

 raking off as much as possible, a top 

 dressing of quicklime, mixed with rich 

 compost, applied late in the autumn 

 and a sowing of more seed in the spi'ing, 

 or a top sowing of soot will, by en- 

 couraging the growth of the grass, 

 destroy the moss. This should be ap- 

 plied in the spring at the rate of about 

 sixteen bushels per aci'e. 



On croquet or cricket grounds, where 

 the turf has become bare through con- 

 stant use, we advise a thick sowing of 

 seeds on the bare spots in September or 

 early in April, rolling subsequently and 

 mowing as soon after as practicable. A 

 light di-essing of manure over the whole, 

 laying square during the winter, will 

 often be found beneficial in encouraging 



