LAWN, a space of ground covered with grass, kept short by mowing and generally situated in front of a house or mansion, or within the view from such. The number of evergreen exotics which survive our winters, and the verdure of the grass in summer, are peculiar features of England in comparison with continental Europe, where in .general the grass is either burned up in summer, or the exotics are destroyed by the severity of winter. The management of a lawn is with us therefore a subject of interest to every possessor of a garden.
Previous to laying down, the ground intended for a lawn should be properly trenched and drained, in order that such trees and shrubs as may afterwards be planted upon it should succeed well. The direction of the trenches should be towards a drain, to which, if possible, their bottoms should form a regularly inclined plane, for the purpose of affording the means of escape for the water, which, in retentive soils more especially, would otherwise stagnato. Although trees and shrubs are absolutely necessary for giving due effect to the scenery of a lawn, yet in the latter, one open extensive space, lying in the full view from the w,indows of the house, must be preserved. For this portion, digging instead of trenching limy be found sufficient; but the openings, which ought to command views from this principal area, should be trenched, as well as for the shrubs and trees; for if the operation were only performed with regard to the latter, the water would not find such free egress from the bottom as would be the case if the mode of trenching were adopted mum is above recommended.
After trenching, the soil should be allowed to subside, and the greatest care should be taken to mako the surface perfectly even, otherwise a great expense will be afterwards incurred by the loss of time in mowing, which can neither be so quickly nor so well performed where the surface is uneven.
If turf can be readily procured, a lawn is at once produced ; and by such means a more uniform distribution of grass may be obtained than by any other means. The surface of a well-fed meadow, or of an old common, closely cropped by sheep and geese, affords the best kind of turf ; and if any tall or coarse grasses should bet:nixed with it, no inconvenience will arise, for everything of this sort will eventually disappear under close mowing; and such only as are dwarf and suited to the soil will ultimately remain. Where a turf is to be produced by sowing, the seeds of such species as are indigenous to the locality, and possess at the same time the property of being dwarf and fine, are to be preferred ; but in the event of this method of forming a lawn being adopted, it is always desirable that a narrow slip of good turf should be carried all round the circumference. The following species may be
mentioned as proper for a lawn in average situations perenne, or rye-grass; Pea trivialis, or pratcnsis ; Antho:eanthunt odoratum, or sweet vernal ; Cynosurus cristatus, or crested dogstail, with a consider able quantity of Medicago lupulina, or black nonsuch, and Trifoliurn repent', or Dutch white clover. If the situation is particularly dry, Featuccs ovina, or sheep's fescue, should be substituted for Lolium, perenne ; if very low and wet, then the place of the latter may be filled with Alopecurus pratensis, or meadow foxtail. All these grasses may be procured of dealers in agricultural seeds ; it is however better for persons in the country to collect for themselves such as can be found in their neighbourhood, for then they can depend upon their being genuine. The utmost care should be taken to avoid the intro duction of Daetylis ylomerata, or cocksfoot grass, and Holcus lanatus, or mills, for these hard, harsh, stubborn grasses resist the effects of mowing for a long time, The great plague of lawns is the dandelion (Leontodon tararacum), which should be carefully rooted out as soon as seen, though there is no guarding against seeds.
The process called inoculating, or of making lawn by sowing the ground with fragments of turf, and rolling them in, cannot be recom mended when a lawn is required to look particularly well, for it is a long while before the surface of the ground becomes uniform under such circumstances.
Lawns, when once established, require only to be kept neat by the ordinary routine of rolling, mowing, and sweeping, except keeping the surface perfectly even, by making up small hollows, with screened mould, early in spring. When lawns become worn out, a top-dressing of any finely-divided manure will refresh them : malt-dust applied in October is excellent for this purpose ; and at the same time an addi tional quantity of grass-seed may be sown. Where the walks are straight, the edges of the lawn adjoining them should be perfectly straight also, and care should be taken that the grass-edging is kept rolled down and Pared, so as never to exceed an inch and a half above the level of the walk.
The lawn, however, in the case of mansions of any architectural pretensions, should not be brought up close to the building; but there should bo intervening terraces with flower beds. Where the mansion is dropped, as it were, upon the lawn, it takes an air of incompleteness as well as coldness. The domains of art and nature should be har moniously united, and not brought into abrupt contrast. This plan is now almost uniformly adopted alike by eminent architects and decorative gardeners.
(Lindley, Theory and Practice of Horticulture ; McIntosh, Time Poole of the Garden.)