In My Vicarage Garden 



herbaceous, or trees or shrubs, deserves a passing 

 notice. In spite of the drought in June and July, 

 the freshness of the foliage everywhere has been a 

 thing to notice and rejoice in. But I do not want 

 to dismiss the garden without saying something of 

 the weeds, which form so large a feature in many 

 gardens. If we have a fine season for the garden 

 we must expect plenty of weeds ; it is part of the 

 price we pay for it ; for the weather that is good 

 for our choice flowers and vegetables is as good 

 for the weeds. I am one of those who think that 

 weeds in a garden are, within a certain limit, not 

 altogether an unmixed evil ; and certainly I would 

 rather see a flower border with a mixture of flower- 

 ing weeds than with a few plants and large con- 

 tinents of bare soil. But in a well-kept garden 

 weeds have no place, and when the garden is not 

 surrounded with fields there should be little 

 difficulty in keeping them at bay, even with a 

 small staif of gardeners ; where it is surrounded 

 by fields it becomes almost impossible. But it 

 can be done, and I will finish my paper with one 

 useful hint on the subject. I should class the 

 plantain as the worst of all weeds, especially to a 

 good lawn. There are many plans for destroying 

 it, such as specially made spuds, instruments for 

 inserting sulphuric acid or other poison into the 

 plants, etc., and none of them succeed completely. 

 But a complete remedy can be found in common 

 table salt. Place a piece about the size of a hazel 

 nut on the very middle of the plant in hot, dry 



26 



