24 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



MANAGEMENT OP LAWNS. 



It is too late in the season to make a lawn 

 this year, but all not in possession of this 

 source of pleasure should resolve to have one 

 the coming spring. A beautiful stretch of 

 well-kept velvety green turf — and this is what 

 is understood as a lawn — can be secured by 

 having the soil deep, rich, and mellow before 

 seeding, and then caring for it ever after- 

 ward. The plant-food should be in the form 

 of well-rotted and finely divided barn-yard 

 manure, or some more concentrated fertilizer, 

 as bone-dust, guano, ashes, etc. These lat- 

 ter can be applied in small doses at any time 

 through the year, but it is best just before 

 a rain, that the water may carry the fertilizer 

 directly to the roots of the grass, thus giving 

 quick returns. After the lawn is established, 

 next to the feeding comes the cutting of it. 

 A lawn, to look at its best, should be cut at 

 least once a week, and, in the more rapid- 



a hi*'!! 



AND GREENHOUSE. 



PELARGONIUM GRANDIFLOEUM. 



This is commonly known as Lady Washing- 

 ton Geranium, and has innumerable varieties, 

 embracing many colors with various and dis- 

 tinct markings. Some have spots on all 

 the petals, others only on the two upper 

 ones; again some have fringed and wavy 

 margins, and yet others produce flowers as 

 round and smooth as the most perfect Pansy. 



Their general management requires care 

 and more attention than the ordinary Geran- 

 iums to insure success. Our illustration, 

 for which we are indebted to Gardening Illus- 

 trated, shows what can be done with proper 

 management. The specimen represented is a 

 plant three years old, about three feet six 

 inches in diameter, and grown in a pot ten 

 inches in diameter. 



To produce the best results, propagation 



ally grow the strongest, and these should be 

 tied down first, so as to give the lower ones a 

 chance to get on even terms. This brings 

 us to about the middle of December. If it is 

 desirable to grow as large plants as possible, 

 another repotting into pots two sizes larger 

 will be necessary, but if plants are wanted 

 for ordinary decorative purposes, repotting 

 need not be done before the first of Febru- 

 ary. The shoots should be stopped a few 

 days previous to repotting, and the tying 

 and training attended to from time to time, 

 as necessary. As the days lengthen, and 

 the sun gets stronger, the plants will require 

 more water, and on very bright days syringe 

 occasionally, but avoid keeping the foliage 

 constantly wet. During the dullest weather 

 maintain a temperature of fifty to fifty-five 

 degrees Fahr. Keep free from aphis or 

 green fly (for no plant suffers more than this 

 from their attacks) by fumigating with 

 tobacco once a week. 



By the middle of March they should have 

 their final shift for the season, using the 

 same kind of soil as before, leaving an inch 



growing portion of the season, twice as fre- 

 quently is not too often. The clippings from 

 the mower may be left where they fall, to 

 serve a good turn in protecting the closely 

 cut "turf from the hot sun, that might other- 

 wise dry out the roots and do them injury. 

 Some persons, with good taste generally, 

 keep the open spaces in the lawn closely cut, 

 but neglect the corners and portions around 

 trees and shrubs. This is slovenly, and the 

 appearance is even worse than to leave the 

 grass to grow equally upon the whole lawn. 

 The sickle should be freely used wherever 

 the lawn-mower cannot go. 



Much of the beauty of the lawn depends 

 upon the neat keeping of the walks and 

 drives. They should be kept free from all 

 weeds, and this can be best done by an occa- 

 sional raking ; but, if necessary, use the hoe. 

 'I'll.' center of the walk should be a little 

 higher than the sides, to insure drainage, and 

 ills,, for look's sake. The borders will need 

 trimming from time to time. This may seem 

 trivial, but upon these little things the ap- 

 pearance of "finish," and the trimmed 

 neatness and beauty of the lawn, depends. 



PELARGONIUM G R AN D I FLO RU M. 



should commence as early in summer as 

 moderately ripened cuttings can be obtained, 

 so that by the first of October we may start 

 with strong young plants, well rooted in two 

 and a half or three inch pots. They should 

 now be repotted into four or five inch pots, 

 well drained with broken pots a third of the 

 depth, using such soil as has been advised in 

 The American Garden for other Geraniums, 

 with an additional sprinkling of coarse sand; 

 water thoroughly and place in the sunniest 

 position, and as near the glass as possible ; 

 give one thorough soaking with water, and 

 do not water again until the soil is beginning 

 to get quite dry, as from November until the 

 first of February too much water is certain 

 destruction. About two weeks after the first 

 repotting, the center growth should be 

 pinched entirely out (this is known as "stop- 

 ping "), which will induce young growth to 

 form at the axil of every leaf. After these 

 young shoots grow to the length of two or 

 three inches, small stakes should be placed 

 around the sides of the pot, and the young 

 shoots gradually and carefully drawn horizon- 

 tally to the stakes. The upper shoots gener- 



space in each pot to allow for thorough 

 watering. As the pots get filled with roots, 

 give occasional doses of weak guano-water. 

 Be careful not to allow the plants to get dry 

 at this period, or the flowers will be small 

 and crippled. 



From the first of May the flowers will 

 begin to open, and the plants should then be 

 shaded from excessive sunshine, removing 

 the shading at night, if possible, and only 

 using it in the brightest weather. After the 

 plants begin to drop their bloom, they should 

 be placed out-of-doors in a sheltered posi- 

 tion, with an easterly or westerly aspect, so 

 as to protect them, for a part of the day, 

 from the direct rays of the sun. Turn the 

 pots around once a week, so as to prevent 

 roots from growing into the soil of the bed. 



After the first of August give water very 

 sparingly, and by the third week the plants 

 should be cut down to the desired size ; gen- 

 erally from one to three inches of each shoot 

 should be left, according to the shape of the 

 plant. If one side of the plant is heavier 

 than the other, leave the shoots the longest 

 on the weak side. Do not give any water 



