Reports to the Board of ^Agriculture. 15 



there about in the garden to attract any stray beetles to deposit 

 their eggs ; these heaps can be examined in the winter and all the 

 grubs burnt. 



POTATO PESTS. 

 Myriapoda in Potatoes. 



Numbers of centipedes and some millepedes were sent to the 

 Board from Honiton with a note to the efiect that they (the centi- 

 pedes) were destroying the potato crop in that neighbourhood. 



The Scolopcndridse were mostly alive in a small tin box, but 

 several had been killed by the stronger ones in the box. 



These Scolopendiidte are certainly carnivorous and do not seem 

 to be destructive to roots, although Curtis mentions such a habit, 

 quoting the following from a correspondent : " Mr. Hope attributed 

 the potato disease to the attacks of wire-worms, and also to a small 

 Scolopendra which was found in myriads infesting diseased potatoes 

 at Southend." 



In all cases where these myriapods are sent as the culprits 

 other pests will be found on careful examination. In the box sent 

 from Honiton were also the remains of some small Julidce which 

 have undoubtedly been the cause of the trouble. The large centi- 

 pedes sent had probably been feeding off these Julidoe and other 

 animals in the soil. 



With regard to destroying the Julidte, nothing further can be 

 added to the information given on pages 86 and 105. 



Wire-worm (Lacon murinus, L.) in Potatoes. 



An insect sent to the Board in a potato from Barley, near 

 Burnley, proved to be the larva of one of the Elateridpe or Click 

 Beetles, i.e., a wire-worm — Lacon muriiius. 



There is unfortunately no remedy when wire-worm get into the 

 potato crop. The field should be deeply trenched later on and a 

 crop of mustard grown afterwards. Sometimes wire-worm will leave 

 potatoes for wurzel and caiTot, so that slices of either, if procurable, 

 might be put here and there along the rows just under the ground 

 and examined every few days, or rape cake may be spread between 

 the rows, as this class of larvte are very fond of this as food, and 

 would probably be drawn away from the plants. 



(Mr. Deadman, of Wye, finds that beet-root forms a much more 

 attractive bait than any other root for catching these pests.) 



