10 
A FEW FLOWERS 
roads and walks, the'planting of common and coarse-growing trees where shrubs would be better, or where a 
carpet of grass only should exist, and to the making of hideous “designs” for flower beds. Such a method 
can only result in disappointment and loss of time and money. 
It is best, both from an artistic and from an economic point of view, to secure the services of the best 
landscape gardener to be had, and have a map made showing the location and ground plan of the house, the 
accurate position of trees and shrubs already growing and the proposed improvement, roads, walks, trees, groups 
of shrubs, flower beds, etc. The map can be carefully studied in leisure hours and a fairly correct idea formed 
of the appearance the place will present after a few years’ growth. Visit the best gardens in your neighborhood 
and note the habit and growth of trees, shrubs and plants; this will aid materially to a correct understanding 
of the map. 
A Good Lawn, robed with a mantle of velvety-green grass, smooth and closely mown, is an element of 
beauty in the landscape of the tirst importance. Xo matter how skillfully a place may be planted, or how costly 
the trees, shrubs and plants may be, if the grass is ragged and uncared for it will not be a beautiful place. The 
best way to secure a good turf on small grounds 
is by sodding. On large grounds this would be 
expensive and impracticable; but equally good 
results can be obtained by seeding, and the best 
mixture for the purpose is that in which Ken¬ 
tucky blue grass and white clover predominate. 
Grass seeds mixed in proper proportions for 
lawn sowing can be purchased from nearly all 
responsible dealers. The lirst operation is that 
of preparing the ground for the seed. Rich and 
deep soil is as essential for the production of a 
good turf as it is for flowers or vegetables. De¬ 
composed manure should be used liberally and 
the ground plowed deeply and brought to as fine 
a condition as possible with the harrow and 
rake, being careful to fill up all holes and in¬ 
equalities on the surface. 
The best time to sow seed is in early spring, or in September, and it should be sown as evenly as possible, at 
the rate of about four to live bushels to the acre. Much to the disgust of most persons, the new lawn at first 
generally produces a vigorous crop of weeds; these, however, are mainly annuals, and persistent mowing will 
soon kill them and benefit the grass. Perennial weeds, such as Docks, Itandelions and Plantains, must be cut off 
with a sharp knife an inch or two below the surface. 
Roads and Walks should be made only where they are necessary for daily travel. For small city and 
suburban places they should be simply straight lines from the street entrances to the doors of the house. A 
good rule to observe on small grounds is never to make a curved walk where a straight one would he more 
convenient. The width of the walks must be governed by the extent of the ground and the character of the 
house; generally, four to six feet will be the proper width for the front or main walk and three to four feet for 
the rear walks. 
On larger grounds the direction of the walks is usually determined by the natural slopes and levels of the 
surface; but even here, decided curves should be avoided if possible. A long, straight walk would be 
monotonous, but the general direction should be straight, and all deviations should be made for some apparent 
cause that will satisfy the eye; a fine old tree or the contour of the ground will often be a sufficient reason, or a 
group of evergreens or shrubs can be planted so as to make a curve in the walk appear necessary. The same 
general rules will apply to the making of carriage roads. The road should be located where it will be most 
convenient—that is, the true course of the road is that which a skillful driver would take if he were driving 
over the unbroken ground from the gate to the main entrance of the house. 
The making of good roads’is an expensive operation, but it must he remembered that they are, if well made 
a permanent improvement, and in bad weather an all-important one. Without taking into account the essential 
ugliness of a badly constructed road, there is no greater source of discomfort and expense on a country place 
than that of roads that are impassable in wet weather, and constantly in need of repair. In soils of a gravelly 
or porous nature, where the drainage is naturally good, there is little difficulty in securing a dry roadbed, but in 
clayey soils that are retentive of water, great care must be taken to provide perfect drainage. And the best way 
to do this is to lay down a bed of rough stones eight to twelve inches thick. The waste stone from a quarry is 
excellent material for this purpose and is usually about the proper size; on top of this place a thin covering of 
stones broken quite small, and finish with a layer of fine gravel or crushed stone. When finished the center of 
the road should be a few inches higher than the sides, but it should not rise above the level of the lawn. 
A serious mistake, and one frequently made by amateur landscape gardeners, is the laying out of walks 
where they are not needed. Now, useless walks are not only expensive and troublesome to keep clean and neat, 
LODGE AT MR. LOUIS LORILLARD’S. 
