114 CORN AND GRASS. 



Gas-lime acts well as a deterrent of attack, and ichere the 

 land can he left untouched for a month or six iveeks, a dressing 

 of it in caustic state is valuable, by reason of its killing all it 

 touches ivhether vegetable or insect. 



" For several years a portion of one of my fields was 

 infested with AVireworms, and in spite of Kape-cake and other 

 supposed remedies every successive crop was more or less 

 injured, until one autumn I ploughed in refuse gas-lime, and 

 from that time have never seen a Wire worm in that field." — 

 (The Eight Hon. the Earl of Essex, Cassiohury, Watford.) 



" I do not think we are much trouhled here with Wireworm, 

 except in very old pastures, and then our usual plan is 

 ploughing up and dressing with gas-lime." — (W. Eliott 

 Lockhart, Hawick, N. B.) 



"For Clover-leys I should put about 10 cwt. of gas-hme to 

 the acre, and then plough it under. I think this is a great 

 preventive. If used for Turnips sow it on broadcast and 

 work it in, and then add what may be thought best for the 

 crop." — (S. Massey, Church Lawton, Cheshire.) 



"I dressed a few acres with gas-lime in March, and it 

 seems to have freed the ground wonderfully." — (John Heatley, 

 Passingham, Wolverhampton.) 



" Some years ago complaint was made of the destruction 

 of grain crops on a limited portion of a field of rather light 

 soil. I advised the trial of gas-lime, and several cartloads 

 were applied, with the result that not a trace of Wireworm 

 was seen for several years after." — (Jos. Ellans, Anglesey.)* 



Kainite in amount of 3 cwt. per acre, and (in another in- 

 stance on stiffish soil) at the rate of 4 cwt. per acre, and 

 nitrate of soda at the rate of about 2 cwt. per acre are also 

 noticed as dressings which have been serviceable in pre- 

 venting Wireworm attack ; a caution is given by one sender 

 " to apply the salts when wet, otherwise there is a risk of 

 burning the plants." 



Paring and burning is a good practice, so far as getting rid 

 of the grubs is concerned, as great numbers of the grubs and 

 other insect-vermin are thus destroyed, and also a large 

 amount of the live Grass-roots and weeds that might feed 

 such grubs as remained in the ground. The rubbish 

 should be burnt as soon as possible, or the Wireworms will 

 quickly leave it, go down into the earth and escape. The 

 habit of the Wireworm to go down deep — even as much as a 

 foot below the ground in winter — should also be remembered, 



* Notes as to the amount of gas-lime considered by the late Dr. Aug. Voelcker 

 (Consulting Chemist to the Koyal Agricultural Society of England) as safe for 

 application per acre, together witli observations as to requisite caution in use, 

 &c., and reference to I)r. Voelckcr's paper " On Composition and Use of Gas- 

 lime in Agriculture," are given at p. 37. 



