28 CLOVER. 



In the Twenty-first Report " Eelworm-sickness " is again alluded to, 

 consequeutly on its prevaleuce in that year, or at least observations 

 regarding its presence, as causing Tulip-root in Oats, beginning on 

 May 6th and continuing at intervals during the summer from widely 

 separated localities, from as far north as Pincaitland, Midlothian, 

 N.B., to Chested, near Edenbridge. 



In the above-named Reports accounts will be found of (I believe) 

 all the attacks to different kinds of crops which have been found from 

 1886 onwards to be subject in this country to injury from presence of 

 T. devastatrix, with description of the characteristic appearance of the 

 deformed growth due to the presence of this Stem Eelworm, so as to 

 enable observers to distinguish almost at a glance the nature of the 

 mischief that is going forward. 



With the advance of information as to measures of successful 

 treatment, or of measures which cannot be trusted to, or any other 

 points, whether of cultivation, habits of the Eelworm, or observations 

 bearing serviceably on the subject, these have been successively added. 

 Also, to save trouble in reference, the technical description of the 

 Eelworms has been frequently repeated, and occasionally also a full- 

 page plate of the male and female Eelworm, greatly magnified, for use 

 of which, as well as for identification of specimens and much valuable 

 information, I am greatly indebted to the kind help of Dr. Ritzema 

 Bos, the well-known observer and writer on these Nematoid worms, 

 whose assistance in permitting inquiry, as well as by reference to 

 his published works, I have gratefully acknowledged throughout the 

 observations. 



The methods both of prevention and remedy of the attack have 

 gradually become well known, and are given in the above-mentioned 

 Annual Reports in details, with the reasons of treatment based on the 

 habits of the wormlets, and with the names of the observers appended; 

 but the following notes of the main points are repeated as matter of 

 convenience. 



In reijard to method of infestation and prevention of spread of it in the 

 land. — A large proportion of the Eelworms leave the plants when 

 dying and dnjing (as in Oats, for instance), and go into the surface 

 soil, but some remain in the plants. To get rid of those in the land, 

 common ploughing or digging is of very little service, it only disperses 

 them about. But ploughing with skim-coulter attached, or trenching, 

 will bury them well away. Those that remain in the plants will be in 

 the stubble, or parts of the infested crop left in the field, or will be 

 carried off in the harvested crop to be used for bedding or fodder. In 

 the first case, as much of the stubble or remains of the infested plants 

 as can be collected should be gathered together and burnt. With 



