After the most careful preparation of the land, annual weeds are
certain to appear, and every weed, if left alone, will choke a number
of the surrounding grasses. Frequent mowing checks these weeds, but
plantains, thistles, and dandelions must be taken up, each one singly,
about an inch below the surface. A pinch of salt dropped upon the cut
root will effectually prevent new growth. The lad who does this work
should understand what he is about, for a plantain merely cut off below
the collar will send out half-a-dozen shoots, in the same manner as sea
kale, and prove a greater nuisance than the original crown; and the
careless use of salt will kill a lot of grass plants. Daisies should be
lifted separately, each plant with its root entire, and although new
growth will here and there appear for a second or even a third time,
the daisies will be weaker, and a little perseverance will speedily
rid a large grass plot of every one of them. Another efficient mode of
eradicating weeds is to dip a wood skewer into sulphuric acid, strong
carbolic acid, or one of the liquid weed destroyers, and then plunge
the skewer perpendicularly into the heart of the plant. The result
is deadly and instantaneous; but the use of these destructive fluids
needs great care to avoid personal injury or the burning of holes in
clothing. The bottle containing the liquid must be kept in a place of
security.
In extirpating weeds there is nothing like system. Instead of aimlessly
wandering hither and thither, it is more economical in time and labour
to mark off with a garden line a strip six feet wide, and clear the
weeds from the enclosure. Follow with successive strips until the whole
surface has been dealt with, and it is surprising how quickly a large
area may be divested of weeds.
After sowing grass seeds, how soon will the ground be fit for use?
is a question frequently asked. No definite answer can be given. The
time depends on the period of the year, the weather which follows
the sowing, and the attention bestowed on the rising plant. To these
influences must be added the nature of the soil, aspect, and district.
In August or early September, sowing should produce, under favourable
circumstances, and with generous treatment, a good turf during
the following summer. Spring sowings are specially subject to the
vicissitudes of the season. When the atmosphere is genial and the plot
receives due attention, the plant rapidly fills the soil, and a thick
sward results towards the end of July or the beginning of August. But
it is desirable not to subject it to hard use until the following year.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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