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•PETER HENDERSON 6tC0.,IMEW YORK 



LtA^VNS : Their Formation and Care. 



THERE is nothing more charming- than a well-designed 

 house surrounded by artistically treated grounds ; and of 

 the essential features of home grounds none is so important 

 as a beautiful lawn — the rich, velvety turf of the smooth, well- 

 kept lawn, varj'ing in tones of green with the play of sunlight 

 and cloud shadows, being the heart and life of all. 



"The Tropics may have their delig^hts, but they have not the turf, and the 

 world without turf is a dreary desert. The Teutonic races all love turf; they 

 emigrate in the line of its growth." — Charles D vdley Warner. 



A lawn may be formed either by laying turf or b3' sowing 

 seed. The gain in time by sodding is mostly in anticipation, 

 an advantage so slight as to scarcely be worthy of considera- 

 tion, while the results obtained bj' both methods are not to be 

 compared. Sods, no matter how carefuUj' cut and closely laid, 

 often separate, leaving crevices about which the grass dies out 

 in dry weather ; then the grasses that compose a pasture or 

 roadside sod (generally the kind used for "sodding" lawns) are 

 not at all the best sorts for forming a perfect lawn ; besides, the 

 smooth, elegant surface, such a desirable feature of a lawn, 

 cannot be secured b3' sodding. 



A perfect and enduring lawn, one of luxuriant richness with 

 closelj' interwoven, firm, deep and elastic turf, is only created 

 by sowing a composition of the various kinds of grass seeds 

 suited to the conditions and the climate. Several varieties are 

 needed, that the lawn maj^ be verdure-clad during all seasons, 

 and the seeds must be sown liberally (at the rate of from four 

 to six bushels per acre), not only that a lawn may be produced 

 quickly, but because the kinds of grasses suital)le for perfect 

 lawns are fine-leaved and should take entire possession of the 

 ground promptly, thus checking the development of weeds, the 

 seeds of which are in all soils. The coarse pasture and hum- 

 mock-forming grasses will not produce a fine lawn. Good, rich, 

 deeply worked soil, either of a friable texture or else under- 

 drained, is as necessary for the production of a perfect lawn as 

 for garden crops, although most grasses, being accommodating 

 plants, if thejf do not get the requisites for best results, will do 

 their best with what is supplied them. Early and frequent 

 mowing and rolling, as well as the liberal application of water 

 through a lawn sprinkler during dry seasons, is one of the secrets 

 of maintaining beautiful green turf from snow to snow. 



rirfldinO' ^^ "°* infrequently see, after a dwelling costing 

 S* five, ten, twent}' or thirty thousand dollars is 

 erected, that the grounds surrounding it are left to the tender 

 mercy of some ignorant pretender to grade and put in shape. 

 The educated, intelligent architect's duties in many cases end 

 with the completion of the building, and the "garden architect" 

 is installed to grade for the lawn ; and a common consequence 

 is that the beautj' of the place may be forever marred, for this 

 matter really in many cases requires as much intelligence and 

 good judgment as the construction of the dwelling itself. One 

 of the first conditions for a perfect lawn is that the land 

 be perfectly drained, either naturally or artificially; if the 

 subsoil is sand or gravel, so that water can quickly pass 

 through it, then there will be no need for artificial drains, but 

 if there is a stratum of adhesive clay for a subsoil, then drains 

 are indispensable every fifteen or twenty feet. As the forma- 

 tion of the lawn is the foundation of all subsequent operations, 

 it is imperative that it be carefully done ; for if badly done at 

 first it cannot be changed or altered, unless to the great detri- 

 ment of trees or shrubs that have been planted or flower beds 

 or walks that have been laid out. 



The first thing to be done is to get the ground shaped to the 

 desired grade, taking care in grading that when hills or rocks 

 are removed, sufficient subsoil is also removed to be replaced 

 with top soil, so that at least five inches of good soil will over- 

 lay the whole in all places ; and where trees are to be planted 

 there should be twice that depth of good soil. When the grad- 

 ing is finished, if the nature of the ground requires it, drains 

 should be laid wherever necessary ; then the whole should be 

 thoroughly plowed, a subsoil following in the wake of the com- 

 mon plow, until it is completely pulverized. A heavj' harrow 

 should then be applied until the surface is thoroughly fined 

 down; all stones, roots, etc., should be removed, so that a 

 smooth surface may be obtained. We have used, with great 

 effect and saving of labor, the "Disc Smoothing Harrow," 

 which fines and levels the land equal to a steel rake ; and 

 wherever large areas are in preparation for lawns, or in fact 

 for an}' field culture requiring a fine smooth surface, this im- 

 plement will be found to be of great value. 



