346 COMMON WEEDS 



sulphate of ammonia (|-i oz. per square yard) mixed 

 with fine dry soil acts in a similar manner, and may 

 with advantage be evenly applied once a month from 

 April to July. 



Removing Weeds by Hand. A common plan of 

 ridding lawns of Plantains, Daisies, &c., is to go over 

 the whole plot carefully and remove them bodily by 

 means of a knife or spud. They should not be merely 

 cut off below the surface, as many weeds so treated 

 will only sprout afresh. Patent weed extractors may 

 be obtained to remove lawn weeds quickly and well. 



Poisoning" of Lawn Weeds. Other methods for 

 killing weeds in lawns consist in the use of salt and 

 acids. A small thimbleful of salt or a pinch of sulphate 

 of ammonia placed on the crown of a Daisy, Plantain, 

 or other broad-leaved weed in the lawn will destroy it ; 

 stout, thick-rooted weeds may with advantage be 

 stabbed with a knife or skewer before applying the 

 poison. Sulphuric acid, strong carbolic acid, and 

 liquid weed killers may also be employed for the same 

 purpose ; the method of using these is to dip a wooden 

 skewer into one or other of the liquids and plunge it 

 into the centre of the plant, so that a drop of the 

 liquid is left behind. Such a plan will quickly kill 

 all the larger weeds. Patent stabbers for the use of 

 weed-killers are also on the market. 



In removing weeds by hand, or in destroying them 

 as described above, bare patches may be left in the 

 grass where large Plantains or Dandelions have previously 

 occupied the soil. When this is the case the patches 

 should be raked over in February, dressed with fine 

 soil, and sown with grass seeds. Odd places may easily 

 be treated in this way, or may be filled up with trans- 

 planted Poa annua (one of the best of lawn grasses), or, 

 in cases where a good surface is wanted immediately, 



