64 Seco/id Report on Economic Zoology. 



infected plant when the dew is on the leaf. In places where the 

 snails come from neighbouring downs or woods a small trench may 

 also be dug along the border of the field and filled with soot and 

 lime, or better still, with gas lime, a precaution which will prevent 

 them reaching the crop ; and if the trench be about a foot wide 

 many of the snails, as with slugs, will be killed in it. Much good 

 may also be done by destroying rubbish heaps and removing stones 

 which protect them from the heat and dryness of the air. Many ova 

 are deposited in heaps of leaf-mould. If these heaps are dressed with 

 quicklime all the ova will be destroyed, as well as many other vermin 

 certain to be present. Eockeries and ferneries in and near gardens 

 are often centres irom which numberless snails proceed. All rough 

 herbage should be cleared off these in the winter, and in the spring 

 a good dressing of soot put over them to kill the vermin that have 

 hibernated there. During the springs of 1894 and 1895 the South 

 of England was visited by large numbers of snails and slugs. In 

 many districts it was found almost impossible to keep the hordes of 

 L, at/rcstis off the early peas and other early garden produce. 

 Sprinkling ash soaked in paraffin did some good. Barley-awns 

 soaked in the same I found kept off the slugs to a great extent, the 

 sharp points making progress difficult for them. The employment 

 of ducks and fowls has been referred to on p. 56. 



Wireworm in Hops. 



Year after year enquiries are made as to how to clean a hop-garden 

 of these pertinaceous insect pests, but during the past year they have 

 not been so evident as usual in most districts. In the field there is 

 really no remedy or even good means of certain prevention, but in 

 hop and garden cultivation much can be done. Amongst hops they 

 form one of the three most serious and widely distributed pests. 



In parts of Kent they are very haimful. In May Mr. Montague 

 Ballard, of Bydews Place, Tovil, wrote to inquire "what is the best 

 thing to do to them with regard to hop gardens, and what is their 

 life-history ? " 



The life- history is given in general outline in the Board Leaflet 

 No. 10 revised in 1902. The following information dealing with this 

 pest in hops was also sent to Mr. Ballard : — 



With regard to wireworm in hops, " trapping " is the best 

 thing not only for the " wireworms," but also for the adult " click- 

 beetles." My experiments have been only on a small scale regarding 

 the latter point, but I have found it so successful I venture to 



