THE LAWN 



you want your garden to afford you all the pleas- 

 ure you can get out of it. Nature's methods are 

 always restful in effect because they are so sim- 

 ple and direct. They never seem premeditated. 

 Her plants " just grow," like the Topsy of Mrs. 

 Stowe's book, and no one seems to have given any 

 thought to the matter. But in order to success- 

 fully imitate Nature it is absolutely necessary 

 that we familiarize ourselves, as I have said, with 

 her ways of doing things, and we can only do this 

 by studying from her books as she opens them 

 for us in every field, and by the roadside, and 

 the woodland nook. The secret of success, in a 

 word, lies in getting so close to the heart of Na- 

 ture that she will take us into her confidence and 

 tell us some of her secrets. 



One of the best trees for the small lawn is the 

 Cut-Leaved Birch. It grows rapidly, is always 

 attractive, and does not outgrow the limit of the 

 ordinary lot. Its habit is grace itself. Its white- 

 barked trunk, slender, pendant branches, and 

 finely-cut foliage never fail to challenge admira- 

 tion. In fall it takes on a coloring of pale gold, 

 and is more attractive than ever. In winter its 

 delicate branches show against a background of 

 blue sky with all the delicacy and distinctness 

 of an etching. No tree that I know of is hardier. 



39 



