372 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST, 
[October, 
Treatment of Lawns and Grass Plots. 
Many people think that the one thing requis¬ 
ite to produce a good turf is to sow a particular 
kind of seed. There is, to be sure, a 
choice in grasses, and we have in former 
articles indicated our preferences. But 
whatever kind of grass is sown, good 
keeping will tell. Frequent rollings and 
mowings with occasional top-dressings 
will make a good turf with most perennial 
grasses. The roller is an important 
implement in keeping a lawn in order. 
Where the mowers are frequently used 
this is not so necessary, as these imple¬ 
ments have a roller attached ; hut where, 
as in many places, the mowing is done 
by a scythe, the roller must he brought 
into use. Every person who crosses a 
lawn makes the surface uneven ; where 
a path is worn, it is a pretty sure indica¬ 
tion that a walk is needed, and it is best 
to make one at once. Promiscuous 
trampling of a piece of grass, large or 
small, especially if just after rain, leaves 
it in a bad condition for mowing, whether 
by machine or by hand. Wherever hand A 
mowing is practised, roll the grass the fd 
day before. This removes all inequalities 
of the surface of the soil, and the grass 
will recover during the night and he ready 
to take the scythe. Many perennial 
grasses, as well as the clover, form a turf 
by throwing out runners, which root at 
the joints. If the lawn he mowed with¬ 
out rolling, much will he cut off, which, 
had the roller been used, would have been 
pressed into the soil and taken root. 
Large lawns are really easier to manage 
than grass plots, such as we find in village 
and town yards. With these last the mow¬ 
ing is often delayed and the stronger varie¬ 
ties of grass, or if the plot is all of one 
kind, the stronger shoots, smother the 
weaker. Let any one mow a neglected 
lawn or grass plot and he will find, if he 
mows as he should, within an inch of 
the soil, that the remaining leaves of 
grass are all dead and that the runners 
have but little hold. It would be in 
most cases impracticable to use a roller on 
small grass plots. These can be levelled by the 
use of the Turf Beetle. The shape of the im¬ 
plement is shown in the engraving. It is a 
piece of 3-inch plank of a length and width pro¬ 
portioned to the views of the operator. We use 
one about 3 inches thick, 10 inches wide, and P| a 
foot long. It is operat¬ 
ed like a pavior’s ram¬ 
mer, and one, after a 
little practice, can make 
a grass plot smooth and 
level. Where the plot 
is small a grass-hook, a 
sickle without teeth, is 
used in preference to a 
scythe. Weeds will es¬ 
tablish themselves if not 
pulled while young. 
’Thistles, plantains, and 
other coarse weeds are 
easily removed while 
small. Barn-yard grass or Cock’s-foot ( Pani - 
cum Crus-galli), is apt to appeal' late in sum¬ 
mer, and he troublesome. It is a coarse annual, 
making chimps of such vigorous growth that 
it kills out the finer grasses near it. It should 
be pulled up as soon as it can be distinguished. 
The implement here figured is useful in lay¬ 
ing turf, as by its aid not only a level surface may 
be secured, but the roots of the turf will be 
brought into close contact with the soil below. 
TURF BEETLE. 
STARRY SCABIOUS.— (Sccibiosa stellata.) 
Winter Bouquets. 
Bouquets of Everlasting flowers, as they are 
called, are pleasing or the reverse, according to 
the care that has been given to collecting and 
preserving the flowers, and the taste displayed 
in making them up. Most of these unfading 
flowers bloom late, some, such as the Helicrhy- 
sums, coming into perfection just at the time of 
hard frosts. With the majority of these plants 
it is best to pick the flowers before they fairly 
open, remove the leaves from the stems, tie them 
in small bundles, and hang them, flowers down, 
to dry in the shade. If too many are put to¬ 
gether there is danger of mildew, and it is 
moreover difficult to keep the stems straight. 
The Globe Amaranth ( Gomphrena ), should not 
be picked until the heads are well developed 
and feel papery. If in making up, the natural 
stems are not managable, or if the flowers be¬ 
come broken off, as they are apt to be, artificial 
stems made of slivers of broom corn may be at¬ 
tached by means of a thread or fine wire. Seed- 
vessels of various kinds are introduced into 
these bouquets with good effect. A species of 
Scabious (Scabiosa stcllata,) is sometimes culti¬ 
vated for liis use, under the name of Starry 
Scabious. We saw this old but not very com¬ 
mon plant some time ago in the garden of Mr. 
Tick, at Rochester, and were so pleased with 
its appearance in fruit that we ha£ an engrav¬ 
ing made of it. Each seed-vessel is sur¬ 
mounted by an expanded and prettily 
marked calyx, and which holds its shape 
aud beauty when dry. It is an annual 
and may be readily raised from the seed. 
A New Lawn Plant —Or rather an 
old and well known plant put to a new 
use. In France it is found that the com¬ 
mon Yarrow or Milfoil ( Achillea Millefo¬ 
lium) makes an excellent law T n. With us 
it occurs abundantly as a weed. That it 
will make a lawn is asserted on good 
authority, and such is its hardiness that 
it will grow in places too dry for grass to 
flourish well upon them. We are assured 
that in the city of Paris there are velvety 
lawns made of this plant which have 
remained of a fine green through a 
drought of two month’s duration. We 
hope that some of our Southern readers 
will try it. Nothing is said of the time 
of sowing, but we presume it may be 
sown in fall or spring as most convenient. 
The seed is already or soon will be ripe. 
The Movements of Plants. 
That plants possess the power to move 
spontaneously, is well known to those 
who have watched those flowers and 
leaves which go to sleep at night and 
wake up in the morning. The sponta¬ 
neous movements of climbing plants 
have been illustrated in a former volume, 
and the Sensitive Plant affords a marked 
illustration of rapid motion when irritated 
by the touch. More striking than these, 
because more rarely witnessed, are the 
singular ways of the Moving Plant, Des- 
modium gyrans, a native of the East'In- 
dies. A friend who was so fortunate as 
to raise some plants from seed, sent us 
a specimen, the motions of which have 
been watched with great interest. * The 
engraving shows one of the leaves of 
half the natural size.. It is a com¬ 
pound leaf, with one large terminal leaflet, 
and two small lateral ones. When the weath¬ 
er is sufficiently warm, the smaller leaflets will 
rise and fall by perceptible jerks, and at the 
same time perform a gyratory movement, while 
the larger leaflet will occasionally turn itself as 
if to see that the little 
fellows are doing their 
duty. This move¬ 
ment continues day 
and night, sometimes 
with only one leaf, 
then with several, and 
does not seem to de¬ 
pend upon any exter¬ 
nal condition, other 
than that the plant 
shall have sufficient 
heat for its healthy 
growth. What pur¬ 
pose is served by 
these motions, or how 
they benefit the plant, is not easy to see. 
The plant is sometimes called Hedysarum gyrans, 
but the best authorities place it in Desmodium, 
of which we have several native species, with 
adhesive seed-pods, known as Tick-Trefoils. 
moving leap. 
