THE WEED problem: INSECTS, ETC. 85' 



the immediate neighbourhood of the fungus 

 is usually very markedly vigorous. Dressings 

 of lime will assist in controlling the spread of 

 the fungus, which certainly is disfiguring. 



Rarely there occurs over the lawn a pe- 

 culiar slime fungus which seems to spread 

 over extensive areas of grass in a single night. 

 Actually it is not parasitical on the grass, and 

 only appears during specially wet seasons. 

 Its presence is first recognised by an irreg- 

 ular patch on the lawn, maybe measuring 

 several feet in each direction, in which every 

 blade of grass, every grass stem, everything 

 in fact within its area, becomes covered with 

 small slaty-gray globules about the size of a 

 pin's head, which on being ruptured emit a 

 soot like powder. The appearance of this 

 slime mold usually disconcerts the gardener, 

 but he may rest at ease. It will disappear 

 almost as quickly as it came, and even though 

 it spreads over the greater portion of the lawn 

 it does no actual damage to the grass. The 

 slime mold fungi spread over anything that 

 happens to come in their way, and in travel- 

 ling over the surface of the ground swarm 

 upon the grass leaves by accident. It might 

 be well, as a precautionary measure, to give 



