We have called attention to the well-known fact, that no plant can live without green leaves, and plenty of light to keep them green; and then to the obvious fact, that if we cut grass low and keep it cut low, small creeping weeds that could have no chance to grow if the grass were long, will thrive and flourish, ultimately killing the grass which the scythe or mower has kept down. An eminent landscape gardener had his attention called to these views and writes to his correspondent in a southern state as follows :

" I have read the articles in the Gardeners' Monthly in regard to lawns. Mr. Meehan's experience does accord with our experience, in the cutting of lawns. The frequent cutting of grass strengthens the roots of the smaller weeds and gives them power to drive out the coarser grasses. It is true that the crab grass, fox-tail, buck-horn, etc, creep into lawns late in the season when the finer kinds have considerably slackened their growth. But to stop cutting at that time would be to abandon the field to the enemy. You know how quickly the fox-tail and buck-horn spring up and go to seed, and can imagine the rapid reproduction of these pests that would take place were no check placed upon their growth. Of course you have not any trouble of this kind; the Bermuda grass taking possession to the exclusion of everything else. The making of a good lawn depends chiefly, as Mr. Meehan says, on the proper preparation of the ground, the selection of proper seed and the subsequent care; but also, to a considerable extent, on climatic conditions.

"At Newport, R. I., they have the finest lawns in America and they are cut not less often than once a week, but frequently as often as once in four or five days. In the South, where the Bermuda has control, there is no problem. It is only in the North where the trouble presents itself. The addition of a small application of salt is an excellent practice, though very old. Salt induces moisture, and also benefits the grass by the chlorine and soda which it contains".

[This excellent letter on general lawn culture, shows how hard it is to get any practice down to rule. Instead of rules for practice, we usually prefer to offer principles and let the practice take care of itself. The principle involved here is that if we check the stronger plants - grass say for instance, - weaker plants - Speedwells for illustration - the great pests of lawns here - will be strengthened. But we don't want to strengthen these, but to weaken them; therefore in practice, if we desire to weaken these dwarf creeping weeds, we must let the grass grow fast enough to overshadow and shade them.

But in our correspondent's case we have stronger and coarser grasses that we do not want, struggling with the weaker grass which we desire to strengthen. The cutting-back practice here is not in accord with the principle, but the reverse. We desire to encourage the weaker, not to destroy it as in the former case. Hence the practice of letting the grass grow in the fall would be, as our correspondent says, very bad practice. It is just what we should recommend, and, is in accord and not in opposition to the principle laid down. - Ed. G. M].