Ob eaeesecesreesnesesessoeaceceswonnorareaneyes grows THERE was a time many centuries ago when no one worried about mowing and fer- j tilizing lawns — the ” sheep did both jobs and provided wool and Jamb . chops as a bonus. sett Lawns in England were first mentioned in the 17th century and became a major feature of estaté gardens in the 18th and 39th centuries. The grass wa skillfully cut with a scythe and swept up with 2 broom. “’ Edwin Budding, after watching the trimming of vel- lawnmower.in 1830. This push. mower became: ‘commercially avail- ', able ihc Boal in < ich; England.’ . for the grand sum “of seven pounds, This was the first manicured lawn. : ‘Large estate Jawnmowers were drawn by horses in leather boots until the steam: mower was intro- duced in 1893. After the turn of the century the internal ‘combustion engine took over as the primary power source and we have had the fumes and noise ever since. Lawnmowers today fall into main categories: hand, electtic (battery and cord) and gas. Each one has its pros and : Cons ard it is worth evaluaning them before buying a new . mes ; “The heavy cast iron push- mower is a thing of the past. Today’s handmower models are made with plastic wheels and light weight metal alloys and weigh a third of a typical gas mower. They are also rela- tively inexpensive, easy to store d'maintain, require no fuel, produce no polluting fumes and are very quiet. This all sounds very positive “# Custom built closet : organizers but there are some negative aspects. . Handinowers do not han- die tall, wet or depressed grass with ease and do not mow close to trees or curbs. The job can be exhausting untess the grass is mowed fre- quently. They do a fine job on short manicured grass but can- net be set higher than 3 to 4 _ centimetres (1.2 to 1.6 inch- es). A grass catcher can add extra weight if you are not pre- pared to mulch your clippings. Unlike a rotary mower, the ‘reel blades on a handmower need to be sharpened profes- rotary powermowers go, the electric models are the i. lightest and generally quietest. They are also easier to main- tain and start instantly. The blades are easy to sharpen and the machine can be hung up for winter storage. Some models have difficult « Instalied or Do-it-Yourself ° Melamine finish “9 With or without drawers « Mirror doors up to 8' high . ° Highest quality materials + Eifa Baskets « Wire Shelving pos FREE ESTIMATES =,