Don't Neglect The Lawns

It must be freely admitted by every man and woman of taste, tliat where there is room there is nothing about a private residence so attractive and beautiful as a well-kept lawn; but this addition cannot be permanently secured unless it receives proper attention. Thia proper attention, however, is of a rather peculiar kind, but require3 very little labor and expense. There is nothing that will keep in good heart bi so little manuring or rather fertilizing, and there is nothing that resista so pertinaciously the application of long or stable manure. In course of time bo doubt a lawn will suffer for want of recuperating by the application of some stimulating fertilizer; but we would not even recommend guano for this purpose unless occasionally to a light extent, and then to hurry up some bare or barren spots, which would otherwise disfigure the rest. No doubt asbes would be good, and so would the rich fine scrapings of a woodpile, a dung-yaid, &c.;but we conceive that there is nothing so well udapted to lawns as artificial fertilizers of undoubted excellence, as are some of the phosphates, of course asa top-dressing; but none of these should be applied yearly; in f act once in three years is quite frequent enough. Our own experience provea this. At one period we used nothing f or eight years, anc the lawn was better than a majonty ot others that we saw; but we should not recommend this. The soil of our lawn has not been disturbed since 1854, when a very hard pan was grubbed and dug with great difficulty, and it was impossible tu pulverizo it as it ought to have been done. Besides it was sown in August of that year, and before the season closed it was covered with a perfect, even sward. In the spring, as soon, say at the end of March or beginning of April, as the ground is dry enough to work upon, it shonld be carefully raked off and thoroughly rolled. This presses back into the ground the roots of the grass that the frost always more or less heaves up. By the latter part of April, when any bare spots can be seen, they should be, after being scratched well by the rake, thickly resown with seed and rolled. By midsummer these spots will all have disappeared. Early in May, or as soon as the grass shall be long enough to clip at all, it should be done. This will spread the roots and young spires, and cause them to sprout thick and fine. If a very heavy top-dressing, especially if long manure, is used, it will produce bare spots ; and neglect of frequent clipping - say once in from ten to twelve days as the growing state of the weather may be - will cause the spires to be thin, rank and uneven. It should be remembered that after the application oí a top-dressiug of a phosphate fertilizer, say at the rate of about three hundred pounds to the acre, it should be done bef ore the first rolling in the spring, and then the one rolling will be enough for the occasion.