58 
THE FLOWER GARDEN. 
We know they do infinite good below by tunnelling the 
soil and providing channels for the escape of surface 
water and the admission of air to oxidise the crude plant 
foods below and render them available for the roots of 
the grass. Moreover, the casts they throw up are rich 
in plant food, and if these are methodically distributed by 
sweeping with a birch broom and then rolled down, they 
provide a top-dressing equal to two tons per acre per an- 
num. If after these facts readers are still sceptical as 
to their usefulness and want to reduce their numbers, they 
can apply Carter’s Worm Eradicator, a substance in 
powder form, which has to be well watered in, and the 
lowly creatures will soon come up in their thousands and 
have only to be collected and disposed of. Or they can 
put a stone of fresh lime in an old paraffin cask, fill up 
with water, and let the solution stand for three days, then 
draw it off, and apply to the turf with a watering-can. 
Do this at dusk, and when the worms come to the surface 
collect and get rid of them. The advantage of using the 
lime is, it eventually acts more or less as a manure. 
Beds and Borders. — Beds should be dug over 
deeply and well manured for summer plants only. Bulbs 
do best without manure, so for these it will only be neces- 
sary to fork them over just before planting. Borders, if 
used for summer plants and bulbs only, should be treated 
as advised for beds. Where, however, they are to be de- 
voted to perennials they must, as intimated in a previous 
chapter, be deeply trenched and well manured in the first 
instance. For the next three years it will only be neces- 
sary to top-dress each autumn with well-rotted manure, 
adding at the same time four ounces of basic .slag for 
heavy soils and four ounces of bone-meal per square yard 
for those of a lighter nature. In the last case, f ounce 
of sulphate of potash per isquare yard will also be bene- 
ficial. In spring, when the plants begin to show signs 
of active growth, lightly prick the surface over with a 
fork. Later on, and throughout the summer, keep the 
surface frequently stirred with a small iprong or with a 
hoe to keep down weeds and aarate the soil. Frequent 
stirring of the soil in summer cuts off the capillary tubes 
