104 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



[July, 



aw'n nl |,aiiil$cape, 



THE ARRANGEMENT OF LAWNS, 



A lawn, in order to fulfill its proper use of 

 beautifying a place, must be well made at 

 first, and thereafter kept in perfect order. 

 While it should have a fair allowance of trees 

 and shrubs, it must not be overcrowded with 

 them, nor be hid from public view by a high 

 wall or fence, nor by a close hedge. Among 

 the many fine country-seats around our large 

 cities, it is astonishing how few meet with 

 these requirements. The house will be built 

 where it will show to the best advantage, and 

 the material used for the front will be of 

 better quality than the rest ; and then the 

 grounds will be planted thickly, and perhaps 

 a close hedge placed in front, as if in a vain 

 desire to hide from the tax collector. This 

 is sometimes carried to such an excess that 

 there is merely a suggestion of a dwelling ; 

 but, whether a log-hut or a palace, is unknown 

 except to acquaintances, tramps, and the 

 ubiquitous assessors. 



MAKING LAWNS. 



In making lawn, either sod or a good mixt- 

 ure of grass-seed can be used. The former 

 is best when an immediate finish is desired ; 

 and though it is necessary, when making 

 terrace, or where there is a liability to wash 

 with heavy rains, yet in covering a large sur- 

 face the cost is a decided objection to its 

 use. It has been said there is more risk 

 of the weeds being introduced than if the 

 ground is seeded ; but this has no weight, as 

 clean sod should be selected, and it is then 

 no more subjected to weeds than if raised 

 from seed. It can be planted whenever it is 

 in good growing condition, except in very 

 dry weather. After being well pounded it will 

 need no further care beside cutting and 

 rolling. 



SEEDING. 



Grass-seed may be sown any time from 

 April to October, avoiding very dry weather. 

 Before sowing it should be well mixed with 

 earth or coal -ashes, previously passed 

 through a fine sieve and made slightly damp. 

 From three to five bushels of seed will be re- 

 quired to an acre ; after planting, rake lightly 

 and roll thoroughly. The cost is much less 

 than for sodding, and it will be quite as satis- 

 factory in its results. 



It is usual to mix with the seed either oats 

 or rye, especially in the summer months, so 

 that the grain shall protect what is supposed 

 to be the weaker growing grass. It would be 

 as reasonable to plant corn to protect the 

 grain. In practice the grass-seed will bo 

 quite able to take care of itself, and if well 

 rolled will soon make a good sod. 



Whether to be sown or sodded, the ground 

 should be first properly graded, manured 

 well, dug or plowed, and raked smooth. 

 Whenever any hollows are found they should 

 be filled iu with a light soil, sown with grass- 

 seed, and then rolled. 



MOWING. 



Lawn grass should always be cut before it 

 appears to need it. The cuttings are then 

 too short to rake, and will make a dressing 

 for the sod which will be a decided benefit to 

 it. The mower cannot be used too frequently 

 from early in the spring until the last thing 



in the fall ; in fact, whenever the ground is 

 not frozen, it should be used at least once a 

 week. The roller should also often be used, 

 especially in the spring as soon as the frost 

 is out of the ground, and again after heavy 

 rains. The grass should be trimmed occa- 

 sionally around the trees and bushes, and 

 along the edges of paths and flower-beds, and 

 wherever the mower will not reach. The 

 ordinary sheep-shears is a handy tool for this 

 purpose. 



It is a false idea that frequent cutting is 

 expensive. Beside being the only way to 

 maintain a perfect lawn, it will be found to 

 be- the cheapest in the end. The aggregate 

 labor and time required to cut every week in 

 ordinary weather, and twice a week when the 

 grass is growing luxuriantly in warm, wet 

 seasons, will be less that when cut every 

 three or four weeks. In the former case, 

 after going over the ground with the mower, 

 the work is finished, and with very little 

 labor ; in the latter, must be repeatedly cut 

 and raked alternately until an even cut is 

 obtained, and it will not then have a good 

 appearance. The lawn should never need 

 touching with a rake after the first cleaning 

 in the spring. If the cuttings are ever long 

 enough to gather with a rake, it is certain 

 that the work was not done at the proper 

 time. 



LAWN-MOWERS. 



Of whatever pattern selected, a lawn-mower 

 must be light enough to handle easily and 

 cut within a few inches of trees and other 

 objects. The ability to cut long grass, 

 claimed for some machines, is of doubtful 

 advantage, as it encourages neglect. If the 

 lower blade is kept well up, so as to just 

 touch the revolving knives, it will keep itself 

 sharp, and be in as good order at the end of 

 the season as at the beginning, and will 

 never require grinding. They should be 

 used to cut not more than two-thirds of their 

 width, and there will be no unsightly lines of 

 uncut grass. With a little management they 

 will cut on terraces of any slope, as well as 

 on a level surface. For cutting weeds there 

 should be a suitable knife, with a sheath, 

 attached to the handle of the machine. 



WEEDS. 



Weeds are all unsightly, and yet some 

 will appear in the best-kept lawns. Among 

 the most troublesome are the Sorrel and 

 Wild Violet. All kinds should be pulled out 

 whenever seen ; it is generally sufficient to 

 cut the root just below the surface of the 

 ground. Sorrel is a very difficult weed to get 

 rid of, on account of its underground spreading 

 branches. The Violet, when it once obtains 

 a foot-hold, is very annoying, and can be exter- 

 minated only by constant attention. If over- 

 looked for one season, the ground will be 

 filled with seed not from its blue flowers, but 

 inconspicuous ones maturing underground. 



The fall grass, with its long, creeping stems, 

 is sometimes considered as a weed. It can 

 be managed only by treating it as a grass, 

 mowing it frequently and keeping the rake 

 from it. It is at its best when other grasses 

 are burned out by the hot summer sun, and 

 often gives the lawn a bright green appear- 

 ance which it would not have without it. 

 When Garlic is first introduced, it is impos- 

 sible to eradicate it; but, as it is similar to 

 grass in its color and style of growth, it can 

 scarcely be considered as an objectionable 

 weed. 



MOLES. 



Moles in a lawn are as bad as the most ob- 

 noxious weed, and should not be tolerated. 

 Being exclusively insectivorous, it is sup- 

 posed to be wrong to destroy them. They 

 can be caught with a little patience, and, if 

 it is really desirable to keep them alive, they 

 can be sent to the Zoological Garden, or to 

 the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to 

 Animals. Do not hit them on the nose with 

 a stick, or they will surely die. 



PLANTING. 



Wherever a tree or a shrub can be planted, 

 it is customary to put one in, and it has not 

 always a happy effect. Even while the trees 

 are small the lawn is overcrowded ; and as 

 they grow this becomes worse, until it is 

 thought necessary to butcher some of them, 

 and frequently they all share the same fate 

 and are shorn of their limbs until they show 

 the form of some of the letters of the alpha- 

 bet. The appearance of a lawn is thus dis- 

 figured for years, when it would have been 

 at once improved by entirely removing a 

 sufficient number of trees and leaving the 

 others untouched. A better plan of planting 

 would be — whenever a tree can be omitted 

 leave it out. The nurseryman might dispose 

 of fewer stock, but there would be a greater 

 number of sightly lawns, and many more 

 handsome trees than are now to be seen. 



MANURING. 



Manures are as much benefit to grass as to 

 any plant. After planting, of course, they 

 can be used only as a top-dressing. Ground 

 bones decompose slowly, and their effect, 

 though lasting, is not shown immediately. 

 Slacked lime in fine powder has a tendency 

 to destroy the moss which sometimes appears 

 among the grass. Bones and lime may be 

 used at any season. Guano, and other similar 

 concentrated manures, should be applied in 

 wet weather ; at other times they are hurtful. 

 Liquid manures, used while the grass is 

 growing, are an excellent fertilizer. In the 

 fall a top-dressing of stable manure may be 

 used, to be raked off early in the following 

 spring. Always bear in mind that, being 

 entirely ornamental, a lawn is made to be 

 admired ; to deserve this admiration it must 

 be well kept ; to receive it, it must be seen. 

 Therefore, abandon front hedges and heavy 

 fencing; cut and roll frequently, and after 

 the first spring cleaning, abolish the rake, 

 avoid excessive planting of trees, shrubs or 

 flower-beds ; if a tree needs extensive prun- 

 ing, cut it down at once, and in every possible 

 way encourage the grass and discourage the 

 weeds. The lawn will then give pleasure to 

 all who see it. — Robert J. Siddall, before the 

 Germantown Horticultural Society. 



READY-MADE LAWNS. 



On the corners of many of our uptown 

 streets maybe seen, during Spring and Sum- 

 mer, venders' wagons loaded with thin slices 

 of turf one foot square. The owners of these 

 establishments are practical lawn-makers, 

 or, more correctly, "lawn peddlers," ready to 

 lay a lawn at a moment's notice in any part 

 of the city. So that if any one feels a sud- 

 den desire for the possession of a green ex- 

 panse before his front or rear windows, all 

 he has to do is to leave his orders at the 

 street corner on his way to business to find a 

 luxuriant lawn awaiting him on his return. 

 And all this for only five cents a square foot. 



