Reports to various Correspondents. 55 



apple, but frequently in other trees — field mice nearly always being 

 the culprits." 



Observations have since been made which prove this damage to 

 be due to the mice ; cobnuts and filberts were attacked in exactly the 

 same way in my garden, and the mouse {Miis sylvaticus) caught in 

 tlie trees. 



Mr. Frederick Smith, of Loddington, informs me he has frequently 

 noticed this damage done by mice and that he traps them beneath 

 the trees to prevent the damage. 



ANIMALS INJUEIOUS TO HOPS. 

 Slugs in Hop Gardens. 



Mr. E. Callow, of Court Lodge Farm, East Farleigh, Kent, wrote 

 in May, that " Mid-Kent, especially the Earleighs, are infested in most 

 hop gardens by the ' slug ' — small black ones and larger brown ones. 

 They seem to come in the gardens near fruit plantations, and we can 

 only keep them back by continual liming, on the top of the ' hills,' 

 dusting with a piece of hop sack. The bine has been eaten off twice, 

 and will, if it comes, come very late. Anyhow, with the most 

 favourable weatlier, a large crop cannot be grown in the infested 

 gardens. Our neighbour has a garden which always is eaten off with 

 slug for the past five years. Do they frequent poor gardens ? Do 

 they increase where the gardens are \^'eedy ? What is the life of 

 these slugs, the best way to get rid of this pest, and when ? " 



The following reply was sent : — 



" Slugs are abundant everywhere this year. 1 enclose you 

 a paper which deals with these pests and also snails ((oide 

 pp. 57-61). 



" They do not frequent poor gardens more than others ; in fact, I 

 think excessive manure (farmyard) encourages them. 



" One can keep them down in gardens by putting heaps of oat- 

 meal or bran (wet) about, and collecting the slugs off the heaps in 

 wet weather, or at night. Soot and lime is better than lime alone. 

 I am trying some experiments at Wye at present, and will let you 

 know the results." 



Various substances were tried against slugs ; soot and lime kept 

 them off peas and beans for a time, but had to be repeatedly used, and 

 was only successful when applied on two or three occcasious at short 



