It is an old but a very true saying, that a smooth, closely-shaven lawn is the simplest and the loveliest element we can use in the adornment of our grounds. We may procure the choicest flowering plants as well as the most rare ornamental trees and shrubs that our nurserymen and florists can obtain, but unless we have a good lawn all our efforts will be in vain, for depend upon it a good lawn is as necessary to complete the adornment of our grounds as a good carpet is to complete the furnishing of our rooms. We may take our rooms and furnish them with the rarest works of art and the most expensive furniture we can obtain, but if we leave the rough pine floor uncovered or unstained, it has anything but an attractive and finished appearance. There appears to be something wanting to render them complete and enjoyable. As it is with our rooms, so it is with our grounds. If they contain the most costly plants and the choicest ornamental trees and shrubs we can obtain, while the lawn is neglected and uncared for, what attraction have they for us? None; the simple fact being that the one thing necessary to render the whole complete and enjoyable is wanting.

If the lawn, then, is so necessary in the adornment of our grounds, it should be properly attended to and cared for. I say properly, for a good lawn is well worth all the time and care an intelligent person can bestow upon it; and it is my opinion that more lawns are ruined from ignorance and neglect alone than from any other cause. If it is our intention to prepare good new lawns, it is absolutely necessary that the work be thoroughly and properly done, for a good lawn will last many years if the ground has been properly prepared, the proper grass or grasses selected and sown, and last, but not least, the whole property attended to and cared for.

In forming a new lawn, the work should not be too hastily and imperfectly done, as this will prove to be a serious mistake, and one that cannot be rectified afterwards. In the first place, we must see that our grounds have the desired grade, and that they are thoroughly and properly drained and in the condition necessary to produce a good crop of vegetables; if so, they will produce good lawns. The preparation of the grounds is best done in the fall, so that it can become well settled by the time we are ready to sow the seed in the spring. Prepare the ground by giving a heavy dressing of well-decomposed stable manure, and work it in well by ploughing thoroughly. A subsoil plough should follow the common plough. Then harrow thoroughly, and finish by levelling the whole as neatly as possible. As soon as the weather becomes settled in the spring, apply to each acre from five to six hundred pounds of bone-dust; harrow it in thoroughly, and be careful to have a good surface soil of from eight to ten inches in depth throughout the entire ground, and finish by having the surface as finely pulverized as possible, removing all sticks, stones, etc.

The ground being properly prepared, the next consideration is the sowing of the seed. This should be done as early in the spring as possible, choosing a calm day. The sowing should be carefully done in order to distribute the seed equally over the entire surface, and not in spots, as this looks bad, and is not creditable to the sower. Sow thickly at the rate of from four to five bushels to the acre, and rake the seeds slightly in. Give, if possible, a sprinkling of soot or wood-ashes, in order to render the seed distasteful to birds, and finish by rolling thoroughly.

What varieties of grass to sow in order to obtain a satisfactory result is really a serious question. I have no hesitation in saying : Sow June or blue grass, Poa pratensis only; no mixture, no white clover, nothing but pure, clean June grass. In advocating the sowing of June grass, pure and simple, I am aware that I am treading on dangerous ground, for I know that many of you will differ with me. I admit that the June grass will not form a lawn quite as soon as the various mixtures known as lawn grass, but a lawn of the June grass, when obtained, will be found to be well worth waiting for. June grass will thrive in almost any soil and situation, with full exposure to the sun or in partial shade, and in seasons of drouth, when everything is suffering from want of moisture, the June grass will retain its verdure to the last. However, some will insist upon having a mixture; and it is said a very good one can be made by adding two pounds of sweet vernal grass, Anthoxanthum odoratum, and one pound of white clover, Trifolium repens, to four bushels of June grass. This is a mixture highly prized by some, but I cannot see of what benefit the clover is, for it is my opinion that it would destroy the young grass, and eventually die out itself.

About the middle of June our lawn will be looking pretty green; but among the young grass a great many weeds will be noticed, and the temptation to remove them will be very strong; but do not do it, for, depend upon it, any attempt at their removal at this time will do more hurt than good.

' About the first of July our lawn will be ready to be mown; but we must not cut too low, and the clippings should be permitted to remain in order to protect the young and tender roots. After mowing, roll thoroughly; and after this mow weekly, if necessary, until the grass ceases growth. In the autumn the annual weeds will have disappeared and the perennials can be cut out with a stout knife.

It often happens that it is very inconvenient to prepare new lawns, and in such cases we must try to restore the old. In order to do this properly, we must commence in the autumn. First, fill up all inequalities by carefully lifting the sod, filling in, and replacing it; at the same time, remove all perennial weeds, and then give a good dressing of stable manure. As soon as the weather becomes settled in the spring, the manure should be removed, then rake thoroughly, using a good iron rake, and be particular to remove all dead grass, moss, etc. When this is done, give a good dressing of bone-dust, and sow grass seed as for a new lawn. Roll thoroughly, and, as soon as the grass is long enough, mow; mow weekly throughout the season, excepting in seasons of severe drought. It seems almost superfluous to remark that mowing should always be done with a lawn-mower in preference to the scythe. The work is thus more quickly accomplished, to say nothing of its neater and more attractive appearance when finished.

After the lawn has become established, it should be properly cared for; every spring it should be carefully examined and all perennial weeds removed, a good dressing of bone-dust or ashes given, and the whole thoroughly raked and rolled. Mowing should also be attended to from the time the grass commences to grow in the spring until growth ceases in autumn. Once a week is none too often to mow, the clippings being permitted to remain in order to protect the tender roots; a rake should never be used on the lawn after it is cleaned in the spring. If it becomes necessary to use a rake to remove the clippings, on account of their unsightly appearance, it is absolutely certain that the mowing was not done at the proper time. In mowing, avoid cutting too close, for, depend upon it, close mowings and a frequent use of the rake will soon destroy the finest lawn. Close mowing encourages the growth of very many troublesome, noxious little weeds, as well as the great pest of lawns - crab grass - Panicum sanguinale. It should be remembered, however, that no lawn can be maintained in good condition unless it is frequently and thoroughly rolled. Moles are sometimes very annoying; the only remedy for these pests consists in the proper use of a good trap.

A few words as regards sodding : at the best it is slow and expensive work, and, unless for places of very small extent, I would not advise the use of sods. In forming new lawns, it is sometimes absolutely necessary to lay sod along the margins of walks, and also on steep banks, as heavy rains might wash away the soil before the seed has had time to vegetate; any clear sod can be used for this purpose, care being taken to firm it well with the back of the spade. In seasons of severe drought, some resort to watering; but unless one has an abundant supply of water and the necessary facilities for doing the work thoroughly, it is better not to make the attempt, for anything short of a thorough watering will do more hurt than good. I think that if the ground is properly prepared, the mowing properly attended to, and the clippings permitted to remain, in order to protect the young and tender roots, little or no injury from drought need be apprehended.

I am often asked, What is the best manure for lawns? I do not think that there is anything better than good stable manure applied just after the ground becomes frozen in the fall, and removed as soon as the weather becomes settled in the spring. Some, however, decidedly object to stable manure, on account of its untidy appearance, and so bone-dust can be substituted. Its effect, however, will not be noticed so soon. In forming new and restoring old lawns, an abundant supply of good stable manure is indispensable. Guano and commercial fertilizers are much esteemed by some, and more or less is said in their favor; but as far as my experience has extended, I have found them to be very variable in their results. In wet seasons they are very satisfactory; but in seasons of drought, the result is quite the reverse.

Again, some object to the use of stable manure, for the reason that it contains the seeds of many noxious weeds, and in this way they would introduce them into their lawns. Now, I would not apprehend any danger from this source, if the lawn has been properly attended to, and seeds sown the very instant vacancies are noticed; and I have often noticed that wherever any vacancies exist they soon become filled with weeds, no matter what fertilizers have been applied; and it is a most essential point in the management of lawns to encourage the growth of the good grass as much as possible, and thus prevent noxious weeds from taking possession.

The arrangement and proper disposition of ornamental trees and shrubs on the lawn is also very important and deserves the highest consideration. In this paper it is impossible to treat of this as fully as its importance demands, for local circumstances and personal requirement would render almost worthless any suggestions that I might offer. My only object in alluding to the subject here is the desire to caution all against planting trees and shrubs too thickly, and thus destroy the very object we have in view when planting them. A room crowded full of furniture has not a very attractive appearance; neither has a lawn when thickly covered with trees and shrubs. Grass will not grow in such situations, and in consequence the whole will not present a very attractive appearance. A few well-grown handsome specimens, properly arranged and cared for, with a smoothly mown lawn, will give more satisfaction and pleasure to all who see it, as well as to the favored proprietor.

Fellow members, I trust that you will be as lenient in your criticisms as possible, for I acknowledge my inability to instruct you. But, when called upon to prepare an essay, I could not find it in my power to decline, for I would not wish to give any person the opportunity to say that the officers of this Society - a Society that has so often honored and rewarded me - should ask me to perform any proper service for them, and ask in vain.

[This excellent essay was read before the New York Horticultural Society at its April meeting. - Ed. G. M.]