560 
Old and worn lawns and greens may be renovated by top dres^ 
ing with a finely sifted mixture of wood ashes and burnt eaith sown 
broadcast or sprinkled on by hand, or Bat-Guano may be used in th 
same manner. The latter is a very powerful and qulck :“‘ in l 
on grass lands and one I would recommend whenever procurable Bare 
patches should be cut out in squares to a depth of 2 ‘3 and retu < 
after adding sufficient new soil to bring the turf up to the ™ nd 
ing level. After these operations the lawns should have a rest for a 
week or two and if careful attention is given t0 ‘ ™ ® 
the sward will be almost as good as new by the end of that time. 
In most cases, worms would be regarded as useful creatures. 
They renew the surface soil with finely divided earth brought P 
from the subsoil, and by means of their burrows aUow free siccus of 
air to greater depths than would otherwise be reached. They also 
promote more rapid decay of vegetable matter in the soil- But on 
the other hand they may be considered a nuisance on lawns o g 
owing to the great number of “ casts ” they leave on t e su 
Many mixtures for killing worms in lawns are on the market at 
home but are not easily obtainable in this country. e ^ a , 
rally in concentrated liquid form and are diluted and watered into the 
soil. The liquid causes the worms to come to the surface and d 
when they are easily swept up and removed. 
The following mixture is cheap and effective and the ingredients 
are easily obtainable here 
Dissolve i 02. of Corrosive sublimate in 15 gallons of water and 
apply it over the lawn. This will bring the worms to the surface 
when -they can be swept up. Fowls should not be allowed to eat 
worm or they will be poisoned. Another simple remedy is to mix a 
peck of freshly-made quick-lime in 40 gallons water, allowing it to 
stand untii clear, and then apply the clear liquid from a r ° se ' 
ing*pot. This also will bring many of the worms to the surfac : . 
Still another remedy worth knowing is a weak solution of Carbon 
of ammonia applied in a similar way. . T , 
T. W. MAIN. 
GOMPHOCARPUS SENIILUNATUS 
(A FIBRE PLANT FROM AFRICA) 
Gomphocarpus or Asclepias semilunatus is a tall 
slender herb occurring from the Cape to the Zambesi, 
in Uganda, the Congo and Abyssinia. It produces an 
exceptionally fine fibre from the stalk after the 
manner of jute. 
