76 Agricultural Experiment Station, Ithaca, N. Y. 



were published in much detail in Eulletin 33. Most of them were 

 made in 1890 and 1891, while some were begun in 1889. The 

 results of Professor Forbes' recently published experiments will 

 also be included in their proper connection in this discussion. 



A. PKOTECTIOJS^ OF SEEDS. 



The most conspicuous of the injuries caused by wireworms, and 

 the one most keenly appreciated by the farmer, is the destruction 

 of the seed. Thus farmers have given more attention to protecting 

 their seeds than to any other method of combating wireworms. 

 Seeds have been coated with various substances in the effort to 

 render them distasteful or poisonous to the insects, and several 

 methods are strongly recommended. But as none of the recom- 

 mendations were based on carefully ascertained facts, we tested 

 each one. 



1. Pkotection of Seed by a Coating of Paris Green and Flour. 



This method promised to be a most desirable one ; for, if it 

 resulted as we confidently expected, not only would the seed be 

 protected but the wireworms would also be killed. 



We coated kernels of corn with varying amounts of Paris green 

 and flour (in one case sugar was added), and carried on a large 

 number of experiments covering a period of nearly two years. The 

 only apparent result of the coating was to retard the sprouting of 

 the seeds. We saw wireworms destroy several of the coated seeds 

 without apparent injury to themselves. 



In 1888, Professor Forbes found that corn which "was covered 

 with a coating of the green poison, was eaten freely by some of 

 the wireworms without killing them." In 1885, he also mixed 

 Paris green with the soil in which the corn was planted without any 

 injurious effect on the wireworms, but the corn failed to grow. 



It is thus evident that it is useless to try to protect seed from 

 the attacks of wireworms by coating it with a Paris green mixture. 



2. Protection of Seed ijy a Coating of Tar. 



It has long been a common practice among farmers to coat their 

 seed corn with tar to prevent its being attacked by wireworms. 

 However, no one has demonstrated that they will not attack corn 

 thus coated. 



