Worms in Lawns

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22819, 28 August 1937, Page 10 (Supplement)

Worms in Lawns

Effective Remedies QUITE apart from the fact of their disfiguring appearance, worm casts should not be allowed to 'lie on the grass. They form a natural seedbed lor weeds. Vigorous brushing will distribute them, but on playing areas where they are at all numerous, the better course would be to use one of the worm compounds. The period extending from September until early December is the ideal time for "worming" a lawn, as it coincides with the breeding period of the worms. During this timo they are invariably near the surface, an important poipt. ' . . , . , The best plan is that of giving a trial dressi'ng on an area of two or three square yards. The first worms should appear on the surface in five or six minutes and, before tho dressing can be considered satisfactory, they should be present in quantity inside 20 to .'SO minutes. If little or no result is obtained from the dressing, it will be prudent to delay operations for a week or two, then try again. Warm, moist : . weather is the time most likely to be successful, and if the dressing can bo applied prior to, or during a drenching rain, some labour in watering will be saved Corrosive dissolved in water at the rate of half an ounce to every 15 gallons of water may be used as a> worm killer. The worms will then come to the surface and die. Corrosive sublimate is very poisonous and should be handled with all due care, and poultry should not be allowed to eat . tho worms With lime water, however, tho worms may be safely fed to poultry. The lime water is made by mixing 201bi of fresh roche lime with <lO gallons of water, and allowing to stand until • the mixture is clear. The clear liquid ' is then used for watering tho lawn, and the worms will quickly como to the surfaoa.