262 
PARK AND CEMETERY. 
Lawn Making. 
One of the greatest problems in general 
gardening is the production of a good turf 
and maintaining it. Yet it is ea.sy to .solve, 
too, if carefully attended to. The chief 
thing is to start right. There should be 
a good, rich, loamy top-.soil, six inches in 
depth, at least, in which the seed should 
be sown. Ihiless for .some very good 
reason, which would seldom be the case, 
one kind of grass only should he .sown, 
which will make an even, regular growth 
— if cared for. Dishonest contractors are 
occasionally to he met with who do not 
he.sitate to “.skimp” with the top-.soil, 
and a weak, stunted and tufted growth 
of grass is the result. Kentucky Blue- 
gra.ss is the mo.st popular and best for 
more northern States, being very hard}’ 
and close-growing. It is a famous pa.sture 
grass, and thrives in almost all soils. 
For exce.ssivelv dry soils, where it has 
been found difficult to establish ordinary 
gra.ss. Sheep Fe.scue, a very fine, “silky” 
grass, will he found admirable. Around 
the base of large trees, where it is not 
also shady, it will grow right up to their 
trunks. This is also recommended for 
sowing in .sod which is troubled with an- 
nual grass or weeds, as it may he cut 
verv close, and the annuals prevented 
from seeding. AVhile telling what to do, 
it is well to add what to avoid. What- 
ever kind of gra.ss is employed to .seed 
with, it should be of a slightly creeping, 
and not of a tufty character. It 
is impo.ssihle to make a close, even 
carpet with a tufty gra,ss. — Meehans' 
Monthly. 
* » * 
Decorative Grasses. 
One of the best of the Decorative 
Gra.sses is unquestionably Gynerium ar- 
gentum, also known as pampas-gra.ss, 
which thrives especially in the southwest 
of our country and is not hardy east of 
the Rockies. But it can he raised with 
protection as far north as Maine, requir- 
ing only a litter of straw in the winter 
time. Its silky silver-white plumes, 
which it bears in the summer, are very 
showy. It does well in dry situations, a 
fact that commends it to the arid belt. 
Erianthus Ravenme is another decor- 
ative gra.ss of great value in the ornamen- 
tation of the garden. It is a perennial 
and requires several years to reach 
perfection, but it does not need as much 
protection against Jack Fro.st. It lacks 
the plumes of the pampas-grass but, as 
though nature wanted to make up for 
this, its foliage is far more attractive. 
Gymnothrix latifolia is not as well 
known in the United States as it should 
be. It is sown under glass in February 
and transplanted in May, that is to say 
out of doors. It develops rapidly, and 
until Septendjer attains considerable 
height, but is killed by the fir.st frost that 
comes along. It resembles the bamboo, 
and its leaves do not look unlike that of 
corn. It can easily be wintered in the 
cellar or pit and obtains great size with 
age. 
Bamhusa anrea is another plant that 
.should be more common in our gardens. 
It may be wintered in the open ground 
with slight protection and looks very fine 
with its clusters of delicate leaves and 
golden lined stalks. 
Eulalia is a desirable gra.ss for the open 
lawn or border of .shrubbery. — Dr. Hugo 
Erickson, in Vick's Magazine . 
* * ♦ 
Fall and Winter Work Against Injurious 
Insects. 
IVIan v of our most destructive insects 
pa.ss the winter either among matted pro- 
strate grass, among fallen leaves or 
especially along osage hedges, lanes and 
fence corners. Whenever such places 
can be burned over in late Fall, Winter 
or early Spring, the effect will be to des- 
troy many of the.se. Instead of having 
our annual clearing up in May, as many 
do who clear up their premises at all, 
this should be done during the .seasons 
above mentioned, as by May many of the 
destructive in.sects have left their Winter 
(juarters and are beyond reach. In the 
orchard, the falling of the leaves will 
reveal cocoons and even imsects upon the 
trees that cannot be easily detected while 
the foliage is still hanging to these trees. 
IMany in.sects pass the Winter within a 
folded leaf that is attached to the twig to 
prevent it from droirping off and in this 
way deceive the eye of the orchardi.st. It 
will pay to go over the orchard and re- 
move all the cocoons and dried leaves 
still clinging to the trees. — Horticultural 
Visitor. 
* 4 <- * 
Wild Flowers for the Garden. 
When planing for the early flower 
.garden do not forget tlie wild flowers. 
.Select a moi.st, shad}’ sjiot, remove suf- 
ficient earth and fill in with' carefullv 
sekclfd leaf nrold frem 1l;e Iciest. 
Fringe the bed with jiretty maielenhair 
and other small ferns, fill it with spring 
beauties, anemone, wild hepatica and vio- 
lets. The spring is the best time to make 
a wild flower bed, but as the plants are 
more hardv than cultivated ones, little 
difficulty will be experienced in their safe 
removal at any time if taken up with a 
ball of earth adhering and kept well 
watered and shaded. — The Minnesota 
Horticulturist. 
» * * 
Magnolias. 
Few’ flowers are better appreciated by 
the public generally, than the magnolia. 
Such a display of large flow’ers is .seldom 
seen on a tree of any other kind. Coming 
early, before the leaves, of fine form and 
strong, sweet odor, they are indeed at- 
tractive. To many persons a magnolia, 
is simply a magnoli.i, varieties or species 
disregarded. But some consideration of 
the kinds is quite to be desired. To me 
the prettiest. Magnolia Soulangeana, 
popular taste or knowledge usually puts 
aside. It is intermediate between the 
purple and the pure white, having a deep 
suffusion of pink at the base of the petals, 
shading out to clear w’hite. It is in less 
of a hurry to blo,ssom in the Spring than 
the white, M. conspicua, therefore less 
likely to he frozen in the bud; although 
if planted on the eastern side of buildings 
or sheltered from, the sun there is less 
tendency to blos.som too soon. M. Sou- 
langeana makes a hand.some gro-wth, 
rapid and strong, with -large leaves. In 
this respect it is quite unlike the purple, 
w’hich makes numerous slender stems, 
suckering from the base to form a large 
clump. The purple color is, of course, 
a good one, especially in contrast with 
the white. Magnolia Lenni is a very 
dark purple, of better form as regards 
the petals, which have more rounding 
tips and last longer. The .growth is 
heavier than that of M. purpurea. The.se 
three are the better knowm of the .shrubb}’ 
magnolias; but there is another more rare, 
yet well appreciated in certain quarters. 
It is M. .stellata or Ilalleana, a dwarf 
species, quite distinct in habit, leaf and 
flower. Four or five feet is the approxi- 
mate height, thoiygh I have seen some 
old specimens quite 7 feet in height, and 
very broad. The leaves are rather narrow’, 
not unlike in shape to tho.se of M. glauca. 
The flow’ers are earliest of all, yet seldom 
injured by frost, being better protected 
by its dwarf habit. The petals are very 
narrow and numerous — it might be term- 
ed a .semi-double flow’er. It is a bush 
that will be found just suitable for many 
positions, and very interestin.g in every 
way. — .V. Mendclson Meehan in Florists 
Exchange. 
