Matiagement of Grass Lawns. 469 



Fig. 80. is an elevation of the moss house showing the door, 

 &c. The bark was taken off all the rustic wood before it was 

 used (the seat excepted), and the wood had, when newly fi- 

 nished, rather a glaring appearance; but, in the course of one 

 or two years, it got a grayish tint, which will probably be lasting ; 

 whereas, if it had been used with the bark on, in that time it 

 would have been falling off, and the whole would have had a 

 rugged and dilapidated aspect. 



Maeslaugh Castle, South Wales, Feb. 4. 1835. 



Art. VII. On the Management of Grass Lavons. By Mr. T. Rutger. 



The beauty of our English lawns is proverbial, as they far 

 exceed in the richness and perpetuity of their verdure those on 

 the Continent : this is to be attributed chiefly to our climate, as- 

 sisted perhaps, in many instances, by the richness and depth of 

 the soil. The beauty and perfection of a lawn consists in the 

 evenness of its surface, whether on the level or slope ; the ab- 

 sence of worm casts, and of every kind of obnoxious plants, 

 such as the daisy, plantain, &c., and also of the coarse grasses ; 

 such as the HoXcns lanatus, Z)actylis glomerata, and others that 

 might be named, with the exclusion likewise of moss. A per- 

 petual verdure is also indispensable to the completion of the 

 whole. To preserve a lawn in high keeping, considerable labour and 

 attention are necessary, particularly during the summer months; 

 the process of which, although simple, if it is not followed up, 

 will soon discover neglect. The common routine of rolling and 

 mowing once in a week or ten days may be sujfficiently under- 

 stood; and this alone, in a tolerably moist season, may be sufficient 

 to effect a neat appearance ; but, in seasons of drought, frequent 

 waterings should also be resorted to, and particularly upon thin 

 and gravelly soils ; and this should be commenced on the very 

 first appearance of any change in the colour of the grass. Were 

 it possible to prognosticate the exact time when a season of 

 drought should commence, I should advise the scythe to be laid 

 by in time, so that the grass might nearly want cutting when the 

 diy weather began, as by this means the ground would be some- 

 what shaded, and the watering have a greater effect towards 

 preserving the verdure. It may also be observed, that, during 

 the dry weather, the daisy rake, if frequently used, will be in 

 many cases sufficient to remove every thing that may appear un- 

 pleasant to the eye. 



But it must not be considered that merely rolling, mowing, 

 sweeping, raking, and watering are all that is necessary to pre- 

 serve the beauty of a lawn ; it is necessary that the soil should 

 also be kept in good condition, or, as the term expresses, and 



