CONCERNING LAWNS 343 



had been destroyed by the weed-killer, the metal 

 point of which is thrust into the centre of the 

 plant and the poison squirted in. Now this poison 

 does not kill the plantain only but the roots of the 

 grasses as well hence the naked brown spots. 

 How long does the poison keep its potency in the 

 moist mould ? A long time, I should think, seeing 

 that these naked spots were some months old. I 

 also wanted to know if the poison was deadly to 

 other forms of life in the soil, especially to earth- 

 worms. To ascertain this I took up mould enough 

 from one of the barren spots to fill a flower-pot, 

 then filled a second flower-pot with mould from 

 outside the lawn, then went to the rose-garden at 

 the back to dig for worms, and selecting two full- 

 grown vigorous specimens, put one in each pot. 

 The following day I turned them out and found 

 that the first one had lost its vigour, and not only 

 was it languid in its motions, but the colour had 

 changed to a dull pink and had wholly lost the 

 rainbow bloom of the healthy earthworm. There 

 was no change in the healthy colour and activity 

 of the second worm. I put them back in their 

 respective pots and examined them again next 

 day : the first was dead, its body a dull red and 

 flabby. The second was still just as strong and 

 active and of as fresh and healthy a colour as when 

 first taken from the earth. 



I was satisfied that weed-killers are even more 

 potent than I had thought them. As a bird-lover 

 I had always hated them on account of their 



