WIREWOEMS. 117 



plan universally adopted, and is, I think, the hest remedy." — 

 (David Rowland, Titley, Herefordshire.) 



" Our treatment of land, where crops are affected, is fre- 

 quent use of a heavy ring-roller, and steady driving of sheep 

 backwards and forwards over the land." — (J. Forrester, for 

 the Right Hon. Viscount Portman, Bryanston, Blandford.) 



" If the Wireworms attack a crop the only way I have found 

 to stop them is to get the land into as firm condition as 

 possible ; if the land is open they can travel easily from plant 

 to plant, and may often be seen working up a drill and 

 killing all the plants in succession." 



" If the land is firm and hard pressed the Wircworm has 

 more difficulty in working about in it. Rollinri constantly 

 with a heavy roller, or turning sheej) backwards and forwards 

 on the ground, is the only way to get it properly con- 

 solidated." — (M. Locke Blake, near Ilminster.) 



" Wireworms are more active in the spring months after a 

 long frost (on account of the land being more porous then) 

 than they are in mild winters." 



" I have used thirty cwt. of gas-lime to the acre on Clover- 

 ley, and harrowed the land a week or nine days before being 

 ploughed up for Wheat, with good eft'ect, and put the shepherd 

 to drive the sheep close over the field when the drill was 

 planted. In March, if the land is dry enough, put cattle and 

 sheep to tread it and roll down. I do not think rolling does as 

 much good as the horses do in treading, especially if they are 

 driven three abreast." — (G. Burgiss, manager to the Right 

 Hon. Earl of Winterton, Strutherglen Park, Petworth.) 



In the space now available it is impossible to enter in any- 

 thing like full detail on the many points which bear on pre- 

 vention of Wireworm attack, jjut in the foregoing pages 

 examples are given of different ways in which the most im- 

 portant of these may be carried out, namely, treatment and 

 applications to prevent egg-laying, or to destroy Wireworms, 

 in pasture or ley before or during the operation of breaking it 

 up ; treatment of land and manurial a^jplications suited to 

 push on good growth, so as to carry the plants " past " attack; 

 and treatment, when attack is found to be present, which may 

 lessen the amount of injury going forward by measures such 

 as compression of the soil or applications which may attract 

 the Wireworm from the plant. 



Special observations regarding treatment for Wireworm 

 prevention amongst Hops, to which crop the P. concinna (the 

 Hop or Tooth-legged Flea Beetle) is often injurious, are given 

 under the head of " Hop." 



Amongst root-crops, drill-hoeing, horse-hoeing twice in a 

 place, hand-hoeing close to the rows, and chopping out to stop 



