WIEE WORMS. 113 



with a liberal dressing of farmyard dung, for such crops as 

 Mangold, Turnip, Cabbage, Carrot and Parsnip, and I use the 

 following dressing of artificial : — 2 cwt. best bone meal, 1 cwt. 

 nitrate of soda, and 3 cwt. common salt. I find the plants 

 are soon forced up beyond the reach of damage." 



" On the old red sandstone formation I find lime absolutely- 

 necessary. I do not think 8 tons per acre is quite enough, 

 and would use 10 tons if I could procure it quickly." — (Sir 

 Eichard Keene, Cappoquin, Waterford.) 



" In preparing lea for Oats I either top-dress the surface 

 with lime or by sheep. When by lime, I prefer to draw the 

 lime daily as it leaves the kiln, and put it down in heaps 

 which I cover with earth. The heaps are small and placed 

 conveniently for spreading. They are allowed to remain 

 until the stones are pulverised, and then the lime is spread 

 in the hot state over the surface. The effect of hot lime is to 

 burn off the Grass, and thus to destroy the food of the Wire- 

 worms ; also when (as is well known) they come to the 

 surface after freshet, they do not do well amongst the lime. 

 Further, I am of opinion that this system of top-dressing 

 has a good effect in destroying eggs from which Wireworms 

 would have hatched. I use from 60 to 80 barrels of lime 

 (measured before pulverised) to the Irish acre." * — (S. Sym 

 Scott, Ballinacourte, Tipperary.) 



Salt is considered a useful preventive if applied in moderate 

 quantities before hrcaking up ley, or in a heavy dressing 

 if applied some iveeks previously. 



" Salt at the rate of 5 or 6 cwt. the acre on light land is 

 considered useful if sown before breaking Sanfoin or Clover- 

 ley." — (J. Addison, near Basingstoke.) 



" An old ley was dressed with 10 cwt. of salt per acre 

 in the autumn, and the salt ploughed in. This plan not only 

 killed the Couch and Twitch, but on this piece of land there 

 was no trouble from Wireworm or from grub, and none has been 

 known to occur since." — (Per C. E. Curtis, Alton, Hants.) 



" I have known a heavy dressing of salt, 10 or 12 cwt. per 

 acre, applied some weeks previous to sowing to have a good 

 effect." The observer noted that where old and poor Grass- 

 land on light soils was ploughed up, this offered every facility 

 for action of Wireworm, and — " The general treatment is to 

 lime and salt liberally and to tread the land by consuming the 

 root-crops with sheep. On the other hand, I have known strong 

 loam, rich with farmyard dung and artificial manure but 

 without lime or salt, suffer severely." — (D. Eowland, Titley, 

 Herefordshire.) 



* 100 Irish acres are equal to 162 English acres, consequently an Irish acre 

 amounts to one acre and three-fifths English measurement. 



I 



