APRIL. 
107 
year the top-dressing recommended for worn-out lawns, which will 
assist the surface roots and enable the plants to stole out and thicken at 
the bottom. 
In some cases Moss (Hypnum) is considered an objectionable feature 
on lawns; for myself, I rarely wish to destroy it on lawns which have 
long been mown, and where the soil is poor Mosses will naturally take 
the place of those Grasses which have exhausted their supplies. In 
such cases a compost containing alkaline ingredients as potash and soda 
—in fact, the compost recommended above—will quickly, destroy the 
Mosses ; but the sward should first be examined, to see if there are any 
Grasses left to take their place, and if not better put up with the Moss 
than destroy it before you have a substitute. As a rule, the progress 
of Moss is slow, and it only by degrees usurps the place of the Grasses, 
when they can no longer hold their own ; it can, therefore, be readily 
stopped in time, and should be watched. But Moss will be found in 
almost every lawn during winter, when its cheerful green colour is 
pleasing; and as it becomes dormant and partly dies away as the spring 
advances and the Grasses commence growing, I do not consider it un¬ 
sightly within certain limits; while under trees and in shady places, a 
thick carpet of Moss is a most delightful substitute for Grasses, where 
the latter refuse to grow, and should, therefore, be encouraged. 
Worms, which on damp soils are exceedingly annoying in the 
autumn by the number of casts they throw up to the surface, are best 
destroyed by applying lime-water with a watering pot to the ground. 
To make this, let a shovelful or two of hot lime be thrown into 
a tub of water, well stir the mixture, and when it becomes clear, 
water the ground with the liquid. It will quickly bring the worms to 
the surface, when they should be picked up. It will be necessary to 
repeat this application several times to completely get rid of them. 
March, April, and October are the best months for effecting this. I 
have hitherto failed in finding anything that would destroy the larvae of 
the May bug, or small cockchafer ; they appear to bear with impunity 
any application, however caustic, and the only remedy is to destroy the 
perfect insect when it appears in May, when it may be seen, in places 
where they abound, coming out of the ground on a sunny morning by 
hundreds. A few boys or women with a scrubby beesom or a flat board 
with a handle, will easily kill them as they make their appearance, and 
of course prevent them depositing any eggs, which they soon commence 
doing in a day or two after emerging from the soil. Shrubs, par¬ 
ticularly Rose trees, &c., should likewise be examined for any which 
may have escaped and taken wing unobserved. 
The above is a long article, but I hope that will not be an objection 
to its insertion in your pages. 
Rusticus. 
Farfugium grande. —At page 33 of our February number, a 
plant of this is stated, by mistake, to measure 12 feet 3 inches through; 
it should have been 2 feet 3 inches through. 
