The sun., 1890-11-23
GRASS TO ASTONISH U.s.
A PROMISE OF LAWNS SUCH AS VI
HApE NLvER KNOWN.

PROMISE OF LAWNS SUCH As VI
HArE NlvER KNOWN
trail Park Riadiea ~ a. Expert-N -
Patch Grnss-what Coed Grace n.
Please Walk on the Grass" would look like
strange Invitation to the fieauenters Of Cen.
tral Park but Mr.. Woolson says II 10 sure to
be issued. Mr. Woolson is tho superintendent
OF park gardeners. and at this moment ne is In
doubt whether to esteem himself the happisst
or the most miserable man in New York.
All the trouble comes Of his assoolatinR with .
man named Olcott-James B. in full-a Con-
neoticut Yankee. Mr.. Olcott 10 a grass sharn
He has been . sort Of modern NebuchsdnezZar
for the last forty years and.he can distinguish
one sort OF grass from another by the taste.
For years he confined the satisfaction
OF his Rramnivorous instinct to three
or four New ENGLAND States. but In an
evil hour Prot johnson OF Yale University told
him that there were acres OF grass In Central
Park. and then Mr.. Woolson's trouble began.
Oloott came right down to tho city. and began
lying about In spots studying tho grass In
Central Park until people took him for an
habitual suicide. After he had kept this up
for week he waved his hand with comprs-
hSnsive gesture so a. to include all the lawns
OF Central Park. and said to Mr.. woolson:
"h'e very bnd."
Nobody had ever before said that to Mr..
Wooson. and all these years he had been
thinking with the rest OF mankind that the
lawns Of Central Park were verv fine, But the
Connecticut Nebuchadnezzar ute more grass
and repeated his contemptuous Affirmation.
More than that. he proved it This is why Mr..
Woolson sometimes thinks himself the most
miserable man In town. He drove the ruthless
~. Al. "a
Whenever they came to what the superinten-
dent Of gardeners esteemed q particularly fne
piece Of lawn Olcott was ready with his
insidious poison He showed that no two
contiguous square yards OF lawn wore alike.
He proved that the Park Department had been
spending thousands OF dollars q year for sod
to make more crazy quilt OF what had hithsr-
to been called tho finest lawns in America He
showed that the wrong kind OF grass had
boon planted under the trees and along the
walks. and he spoke with sneers and loathing
Of those minatory little boards that cay:
"Keep of the grass" II tho right kind Of
erass were planted along the walks and
few feet inward that legend not only
could. but must be changed to. Please
walk on tho Grass" II the glass called
"poa annual" were placed beside the
walks all would bs wsll. because II that
grass isn't trodden upon It dies. Olco,t af.
hrmsd that he had lot Of this poa annual in
his grass garden. as he calls it. and that he
made II q religious duty to tramp ON tho stun
every time he came near 1t. But Ooott wasn't
done with tho subject He showed that the
grass was not only heteroRsnso Gus lso to speSk.
but that almosu every square foot of It was
marrsd with weeds: that there was uRly white
clover in all the lawns. and that the Kentucky
blue grass will not endure tho drought thatis
COMING one Of these fine summers.
Mr.. Olcott. who 10 one OF tho experts en-
ployed at the Connecticut Agricultural Ex-
pertinent Station. has proved that grass
culture 10 in its infancy and that 10
is possible to have thorouEhly uniform
lawns that in few years will rival the
ancient turfs Of England. He finds that even
the famous Newport lawns are patehy and
10 an important part Of his farm. two
miles from South Manchester. Here
hs has laid out patch after patch
OF srsss. each four feet square. and
separated from its nsighbor By two feet Of bare
ground These patches extend for about 800
feet, and the grass garden 10 nearly Is besuti-
full - . flower garden. Some Of the srass was
propsxs,sd from sod having : = rpedifres 200
from soms such immisrsnss Mr.. 0leost has
.le q
diG1ty 10 Sr9wi1: S;, srs;s =, With M b. bpsagres
Old lawns Of Great Britain.
Hs % sa Sd S..;ue: . ssa ss.,sse; @
Wit Wit p: aa 90. 0na II
ES:S,snsa5|s, ga i91i iai:s TX: III:
ne ssn sssf g
sndel few Wsefs sSsra square aa ineh has
increased 70 square foot. Then tho process
three 4 nonth. seS orsa sd E.:
spread out into . small lawn. Nj. Oloott crs:
n; soase n NJ hs1:n s:' fsG
"a e w hsd shis sEsnsa Az! iat9 . Beautiful s%;t
to obtain, uniform Lawns by sodding and .by
sssd
ths ma e. h.t s9wf grass seed never knows
i ri: %SGlson esn 6av. his way; the oleots
= nth II; : sJsS: aa sd 1sS.. S4
been prepared e for use ~ q the % WORK I There is
these iittls boards VIII 10 laid down and sod
81 its dimsnsionMs M VII % 6S cut out; Another sod
place. and the chunk out ont viii bs subisotsd
to the 0loost process Of propagaton.
the process. His scheme Is to have a winter
house whore tho process 81 PROPAGATION can
Be carried on ell winter. Then. st the open
propsxstsd vii BE- SGT out in psIches four feet
square with wiz the object Of further propsSatk9a
oeot o. WRo thinss nss can Grass % Ss' fSs most I
bssuti'ul thing on earth. would Ike
to, 500 the open Air grass garden
drives Of Central Park and In conspicuous
spot: but Mr.. W,ooson inolines to = site a little
Of the PsrE. sup.rintsSdsnt. Parsons may
decide AGAINST both .ite.. Perhaps one Of the
0f tie PARK, will hs used for the winter grass
garden Ths possibilities, OF propagat%n are
son would separate tho lit o! aod not into 10
square inches but into 500 bits Il nsees AIRY,
nH 70 he ss. tho oTss SOD Waa
Of illustration he twoaked q tiny clump Of
j thu nrn MI ahnWad n