Feb. 23—Springlike weather end recent rains have had a very marked effect on vegetation; weeds and wild flowers are growing apace while the hardy annuals are beginning to show signs of life: patches of green are to be seen on many lawns amongst the turf, causing them to present an unkempt appearance. The chief culprit in this respect is the moisture-loving clover (Trifolium repens). Some people encourage this plant to spread over their lawns; but we find that it requires little encouragement and we have a very poor opinion of the usefulness of this plant zs a substitute for grass, despite the bad quality of turf that is arriving here at the present time, Clover is a nuisance on tennis courts, not only does it detract from the appearance of the are; but it is liable to render play dangerous, its stems and leaves are easily crushed when trodden on and they have been known to cense players to slip. Another clover-like plant (Ozalis) is also enjoying the Spring weather, we consider this to be even a more obnoxious weed than clover, it spreads rapidly and quickly destroys the finer grasses on the lawn. The annual low-spear grass (Poa Annua) is again brightening up corners of the lawn with its bright green foliage. This grass is often included in grass mixtures and it is used in some parts as turf grass. However, it is not of much use here; it dies after producing seed in early Summer and leaves bare patches on lawns just at a time when they are required to look their best, so it has to be removed together with the other undesirables and it will not be long before we shall see crowds of "weedy" women giving its removal their close attention and, at the same time, carrying on an animated discussion of local affairs and their effect on the price of rice. Weeds on lawns crowd out the grasses, they shade them from the light and rob them of food: they absorb nitrogen from the soil and, during dry spells, they transpire water at such a rate that little is left for grass roots. Many of them escape the lawn mower owing to thei habit of growth and if we are to have a good lawn it is necessary for us to remove them before they have had an opportunity to cause
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