you will not lack for advice from friends and
acquaintances, most of the people who have never grown anything more
extensive than a window box. They will tell you that the old lawn that
has withstood the tread of feet for more than a century is uneven and
must be plowed under, re-graded, and a special kind of lawn-grass
sown. The driveway is all wrong, too. Turn it back into lawn and build
a new one winding through the field to the left where the family cow
was once pastured. They are also kind enough to suggest that a
plowing, grading, and seeding of this additional acre or so will give
you a piece of greensward worth having. A lily pool and sun dial
garden would go nicely over there to the east, and how about that
hollow place over in the south corner for a swimming pool? All this
and much more can be suggested but it is surprising how little of it
is practical.

Even long neglected grounds seldom require as thorough a job of face
lifting. A lawn free of hollows is difficult to achieve and almost
impossible to maintain. Nature does not do things that way, so work
with her rather than against her. It is surprising how old and
seemingly worn-out grounds respond to kind treatment. Study them first
before doing anything. Take stock of existing trees, shrubs and the
like. Notice the contour of the land. Then make a simple landscaping
plan. This, well thought out, will give direction to the eventual
development of the plot of ground you have in mind. Work gradually. If
you are reclaiming an old place, remember the original owner did not
achieve everything in a week or a year. Nature cannot be hurried. It
is true that, if one desires shade trees and cannot wait for them to
grow, experts can bring full-grown ones from their nurseries and plant
them in the positions you designate. Such practices run into money,
however, and would hardly come within the average family budget.

Let us suppose that the home owner finds himself in possession of a
house of uncertain age and between ten and twenty acres of land.
Unless he is prepared to maintain a miniature conservation corps, he
will not attempt to keep over two acres in active cultivation. Even
with those he will not push back the wilderness in one season. The
first step is a careful inspection of the grounds around the house. If
they have been neglected for years, he may find practically anything
except grass growing. If the average tenant farmer has lived there any
length of t