557 



LAWNS. 



Well-made and properly-kept lawns are one of the most attrac- 

 tive features of any garden. Golf courses and tennis courts also are 

 popular or otherwise to a great extent according to the condition of 

 the lawns and greens. As bad greens and lawns are the rule rather 

 than the exception in this country, the following instructions and 

 remarks will, I hope, be found useful by those interested in the form- 

 ation of new lawns or in the renovation of existing ones. 



In the tropics, there are many difficulties to face in the proper 

 upkeep of our lawns, but with a little careful attention most of those 

 may be overcome. Be a lawn ever so well made it will rapidly go to 

 pieces if the strictest supervision is not given afterwards. Heavy 

 tropical rains and scorching suns are severe trials to most lawns and 

 and the native gardner is not less an evil. It is my experience that the 

 Malay gardner has not the slightest conception of what a good sward 

 means nor does he seem to understand the meaning of the word level. 



It is true that most tennis courts in this country, and I have seen 

 and played on a great many, are spoilt by the scythe. This may 

 sound strange, but it is nevertheless true. The gardener is given a 

 scythe and his master tells him that he must cut the court at stated 

 intervals. Then he proceeds to spoil the lawn with clock-like pre- 

 cision. He doe 1 ? not cut the grass as a good scythesman would, but 

 bites and drags at it until he succeeds in dragging a good deal of the 

 grass out by the roots and laying bare stripes and patches of earth 

 all over the court. His scythe is badly set which is probably not his 

 fault as he may never have seen one set properly. The result of this 

 is that he either cuts too low as above stated or too high leaving a 

 spongy " sole " and I must say that the latter is the most usual result 

 and the spongy court or green is more difficult to play on than a bare 

 patchy one. 



It is surprising that so few mowing machines are met with in 

 eastern gardens especially in these days when such machines are so 

 cheap as to be within everyone's reach. 



It is true that one finds them on most well-organised golf courses 

 and in a few private gardens and in those places one almost always 

 finds good tennis courts and golf greens. 



It is quite possible, with proper care, to produce in this country 

 that beautiful velvet sward which one finds on tennis courts at home 

 and on the greens of St. Andrew's, and Prestwick. 



The form and extent of the lawn under construction will vary in 

 almost every case, the larger the area it covers the better will be 

 the effect produced if the work is well done. The majority of lawns 

 in this country are those surrounding private residences and it is 

 principally for guidance in the formation of those that these remarks 

 are written. 



