THE LAWN 



If the house has just been built, very likely 

 everything about it is in a more or less chaotic 

 condition. Odds and ends of lumber, mortar, 

 brick, and all kinds of miscellaneous building ma- 

 terial scattered all over the place, the ground 

 uneven, treeless, shrubless, and utterly lacking in 

 all the elements that go to make a place pleasing 

 and attractive. Out of this chaos order must be 

 evolved, and the evolution may be satisfactory 

 in every way — if-we only begin right. 



The first thing to do is to clear away all the 

 rubbish that clutters up the place. Do not make 

 the mistake of diunping bits of wood into hoUows 

 with the idea that you are making a good founda- 

 tion for a lawn-surface. This wood will decay in 

 a year or two, and there wiU be a depression 

 there. Fill into the low places only such matter 

 as will retain its original proportions, like brick 

 and stone. Make kindling-wood of the rubbish 

 from limiber, or burn it. Get rid of it in some 

 way before you begin operations. What you 

 want, at this stage of the proceedings, is a ground 

 entirely free from anything that will interfere 

 with grading the surface of it. 



If the lot upon which the house stands is a 

 comparatively level one — or rather, was, before 

 the house was built — ^it is generally easy to secure 



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