304 MANAGEMENT OF [chap. ix. 
grass. The next thing to be considered is 
the kind of grasses most suitable for sowing 
on a lawn; and to ascertain this, it must be 
remembered that the proprietor of a lawn 
does not want a crop of hay, but a fine 
smooth level turf, the grass in which shall 
entirely conceal the earth. For this pur¬ 
pose, it is evident that slow growing grasses, 
the roots of which will retain permanent 
possession of the soil, and which are suffi¬ 
ciently succulent not to be burnt up when 
closely mown in hot weather, are preferable 
to those which grow rapidly and produce an 
abundant crop of herbage, particularly as the 
roots of the last kind are generally easily 
withered up in dry weather. Very fast¬ 
growing grasses are indeed exceedingly an¬ 
noying to the possessor of a small lawn, as 
they require constant mowing and are thus 
a constant source of expence. 
Some philosophers assert that the chief 
thing that hinders the attainment of our 
desires, is that very few of us know exactly 
what we want; and it is to save my readers 
from being in this unpleasant predicament 
with regard to lawns, that I have been thus 
