chap, ix.] THE LAWN, ETC. 311 
years in succession, the plants of grass would 
at last become so weak that not one-half the 
mowing usually required for even slovenly- 
kept lawns would be necessary, and the turf 
would be much finer, and neater in appear¬ 
ance.” The best manure for a lawn is soot. 
I have dwelt longer than I otherwise should 
have done on the management of lawns, not 
only because I am a great admirer of a smooth 
green turf, but because I believe it is a sub¬ 
ject not generally understood. Most persons 
imagine that if they lay down turf, or sow 
grass seeds, they have done all that is re¬ 
quisite ; and my object is simply to impress 
upon the minds of my readers, that this is 
not enough: for as there are different kinds 
of turf and grasses, it is as necessary to choose 
which to take, as to select flowers for the 
flower-garden. I have only to add that the 
brownish hue sometimes observed on the 
brows of hills in pleasure grounds is produced 
by holcus lanatus, a kind of couch-grass, that 
wastes all its strength on its fleshy roots, and 
produces only a thin and wiry herbage. 
This species, the different kinds of agrostis 
or bent-grass, the brorne grasses, particularly 
