American Green: The Obsessive Quest for the Perfect Lawn.AMERICAN GREEN: The Obsessive Quest for Verb 1. quest for - go in search of or hunt for; "pursue a hobby" quest after, go after, pursue look for, search, seek - try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of; "The police are searching for clues"; "They are searching for the the Perfect Lawn TED STEINBERG Maintaining the ideal lawn is a constant battle against crabgrass crabgrass, name for any of several grass species of the genera Digitaria, Eleusine, and Panicum, especially the species D. sanguinalis. Crabgrass is a common lawn weed, especially in the S and E United States. , drought, weeds, and lawn-destroying vermin vermin /ver·min/ (ver´min) 1. an external animal parasite. 2. such parasites collectively.ver´minous ver·min n. pl. . It takes gas-powered machines, potent fertilizers, and nasty herbicides. Yet many home owners wage this war with enthusiasm. Historian Steinberg examines the evolution of America's obsession with the perfect lawn and reveals how turf grass, which isn't native to North America, became the most popular crop in the united States. He traces the lawn's history from early colonists, who transplanted turf from England, to its proliferation among post-World War II conformist con·form·ist n. A person who uncritically or habitually conforms to the customs, rules, or styles of a group. adj. Marked by conformity or convention: suburbanites, with humor and wit, Steinberg reveals the whimsical side of lawn care, from checkerboard checkerboard the pattern of a chess or draft board; used in many circumstances to display the results of mixing a specific number of variables. The variables are listed in columns designated along the horizontal border and the same or different variables in lines along the vertical lawn designs to the home owner who transformed his yard into the 12th hole at Augusta National Golf Course. This obsession with turf, however, has a darker side, the author says. The pesticides and fertilizers deemed necessary for a perfect lawn threaten the health of people, animals, and the environment in general. Steinberg offers suggestions for a more balanced approach to lawn care. Norton, 2006, 224 p., b&w photos, hardcover, $24.95. |
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