THE LAWN 



never expect to. It is possible to keep weeds 

 from showing much if one has a thick, fine sward, 

 but keen eyes will discover them without much 

 trouble. Regular and careful mowings will keep 

 them within bounds, and when the leaves of large- 

 f oliaged plants like the Burdock and Thistle are 

 not allowed to develop they do not do a great deal 

 of harm except in the drain they make upon the 

 soil. Generally, after repeated discouragements 

 of their efforts to assert themselves, they pine 

 away and finally disappear. But there will be 

 others always coming to take their places, espe- 

 cially in the country, and their kindred growing 

 in the pastures and by the roadside will ripen seed 

 each season to be scattered broadcast by the wind. 

 This being the case, the impossibility of entirely 

 freeing a lawn from weeds by uprooting them or 

 cutting them off will be readily apparent. One 

 would have to spend all his time in warfare 

 against them, on even a small lawn, if he were to 

 set out to keep them from growing there. There- 

 fore about all one can do to prevent large weeds 

 from becoming unsightly is to constantly curb 

 their aspirations by mowing them down as soon 

 as they reach a given height. 



The Dandelion and the Plantain are probably 

 the worst pests of all, because their seeds fill the 



30 



