LAWNS 



grass should be allowed to attain. In hot weather it is advisable to 

 use the machine without the collecting-box, as the cut grass provides 

 some protection to the turf from the sun's scorching rays, whUe it is 

 scarcely noticeable on the surface if the mowing has not been previ- 

 ously neglected. It is a good practice to sweep the lawn before 

 mowing, thus removing stones, worm casts, or any rubbish which 

 would be caught by the knives of the machine and so blunt them as 

 to give them a tendency to puU and tear the grass. A free-running, 

 sharp-bladed machine is, of course, essential to the welfare of the turf. 



As to rolling, the reaUy useful time for this work is the early 

 spring, when the ground is moist — ^not wet. This is j^^yj^- 

 especially the case if the winter has been severe, for 

 under frost the soil has a tendency to lift and break up, and requires, 

 therefore, to be re-consolidated. Frequent rolling — cross-rolling, 

 not always in one direction — is what is then required, but during 

 frost it is positively injurious and in dry weather is, of course, useless. 

 Speaking of frost, it may be well to put in a cautionary 

 word against sweeping off snow from a lawn, for J^^snow*^ 

 although no damage may be done to the turf by the 

 actual sweeping, the removal of the snow lays the ground open to a 

 sudden change of temperature which is decidedly injurious. 



Although, as already suggested, age may be essential as an im- 

 portant element in the formation of a really good lawn, it does not 

 follow that an old lawn is necessarily a good one. Unless suitable 

 means are taken for its maintenance, the soil beneath 

 an old lawn becomes impoverished, especially, as we '""PO'enshed 

 have seen, when shaded by trees. When it is borne in 

 mind how much is annually taken out of the soil, as shown by the 

 quantity of cut grass produced by periodical mowing, it is astonishing 

 that so little effort is generally made to replenish the growing capacity 

 of a lawn. For most lawns an autumn top-dressing of some manure 

 suitable to the character of the soil, according to whether it be light, 

 medium or stifif, is necessary, as without such occasional enrichment 

 it is impossible to maintain them in good condition. A sure indica- 

 tion of impoverishment is the presence of moss, with bare or thin 

 grass and a recurrence of weeds. Assuming that the plot is not in 

 need of draining, and that it has a fairly level surface, its renovation is 

 not difficult. The time selected should be early autumn, as in 

 making a new lawn, and the first operation is to cut 

 the grass as short as possible. Then the surface Method of 

 should be very thoroughly opened by means of vigor- ^°«''* 

 ous raking and cross-racing, care being taken to get rid of all the moss, 



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