LAWN. The. lawns of England have been celebrated the world over for their verdancy; _ . _.
closeness of texture and general beauty. This i, owing to four reasons: A most thorough pre paration of the soil, the moist climate, thick sowing of grass seed, and frequent cutting with the la`wn mower. In preparing for a lawn, the grotand should be plowed deep and heavily man ur/d, because deep tilth and decomposed manure / • •e favorable to the retention of moisture. Thick eeding hrings a close firm sward which keeps the ground shaded, frequent plowings, say once ,,., in two weeks keeps the sward dense, and prevents 1 the roots from becoming long and stragglinm. Thev form a dense mat under the surface mid prevent evaporation of moisture from the surface. Thus a closely mown lawn, acts as a constant mulch and the earth will be moister and cooler than on a surface wholly or partially exposed. The thermometer will quickly show this. The moist climate we have not got. Hence, during July and August, it is impossible to keep a lawn per fect in its greenness without a good soaking once a week. Hence, during this time it i:--: not a bad plan to let the grass grow even to a height of ten or twelve inches. After the first heavy rain of the late summer cut the grass as closely as possi ble, and then go over it with the lawn mower and in three days it will again be perfect. In making a lawn, never use lawn grass mixtures. They are as high priced as they are generally worthless. The basis of a good lawn is in the preparation of the soil. Kentncky Blue grass, p,a pratensis, Spear grass, poa rompressa, Red top, Agrostis valgaris, and White clover, Tri fo!iu al repeat should form the bulk of the grasses used. Rye grass, Loliton perenne, is sometiines used, but it does not stand close cutting. Tim othy two pounds per acre is good in the forma tion of a lawn, since it acts a,s a kind of a nurse to the other grasses. The sowing of oats is often advised for the same purpose. Do not use it. It robs the young-grass of nourishment, and is dead just at the time the grass wants the protec tion most. Timothy is not a good lawn grass, it is too coarse, but it mar be easily killed by close cutting late in the summer, since it has a bulb just at the top of the ground, which if cut des troys the grass. Sow lawn grass in August. The following is a good mixture: Red-top, one bushel; Kentucky Blue grass, one bushel; Spear grass, one bushel: and two pounds White clover. Then sow two pounds flat turnip. Divide the grass seed into two parts, sow one-half one way and the other half the other way. This is suffi cient for one acre. Finish with the turnip seed and you will not only have your seed sown evenly, but the turnip leaves will partially shade the land, and act as a mulch. Just before it freezes up cover with slough hay or other mulch to protect the grass from heaving the first win ter; early the next spring rake off the mulch cleanly, sow two bushels salt per acre, roll as soon as the land is firm enough, and if you have prepared the whole as directed you will have a first class lawn. At any cost, the surface of the
land must be perfectly smooth and level before sowing. This may generally be accomplished by means of a revolving or other harrow and a level ,r, two or three hard wood scantling eight feet long, one side brought down to a sharp edge, the whole fastened together_lwo feet_apai•t, aud drawn by means of a chain from each side ending in a toggle link. If the soil is clayey, plant it to some hoed crop, as potatoes, before making the lawn, and in this case leave it rough for the win ter. Then when quite dry in the spring, level and sow. Thus you have that most beautiful of rural objeets, a perfect lawn. The following are the, general rules, by which a good lawn may be had and kept intact. To have a perfect lawn, says Mr. William Saunders, it is absolutely necessary to have it properly laid down at the outset. This, however, does not consist so much in enriching the soil as in rendering it friable and porons by draining, subsoiling and pulverizing. The main feature in keeping lawns is frequent mowing, and if this is negleeted fine lawns can not be maintained. It will matter but little how much expense and skill may have been incurred in the preparation and seeding of the ground if it is allowed to grow at random afterwards, as the strongest foliaged grasses and clover will event ually supersede the finer kinds if the cutting is uot regularly attended to. On the other hand, lawns that have been but indifferently- prepared may he rendered close and regular by frequent mowing and judicious top-dressing. Early- cut ting prevents the growth of the coarser grasses and induces lateral growth on the finer, thus cov ering the surface with a dense foliage, which resists the effects of sun and long-continued dry weather. Every lawn of any pretensions should be kept snaooth by a machine. Not only is it economical as regards labor, but it is scarcely practicable to keep it with a scythe so smooth, thick, and velvety as can be done with a good lawn-mower. Another advantage is that the grass is•not removed, but falls down in a shower over the roots, forming a very efficient mulching and enabling us to impart t o our pleasure grounds all the character of the finest lawns, an attain ment that has.hitherto been deemed beyond our ability to realize. When the grass becomes thin and of weakly growth a top-dressing of good stable manure should be laid over the surface in December. It is important that the manure should be well rotted before being used, and as occa sion offers during winter it should be broken up and manipulated with an iron rake. The object in view is to distribute it evenly over the whole surface. Break it finely, so that it will settle down and nourish the grass roots. When spring opens, the rough, strawy portions, if any are left, should be removed; otherwise it would inter fere with the proper keeping of the surface.