74 HOPS. [1899 



be worth while (where the pest appears to be establishing itself, as 

 observed by Mr, Bonnor, p. 72) to try whether a surface dressing 

 of some application that would be sure not to hurt the Hop plants 

 might kill the beetles at the roots whilst still in larval and chrysalis 

 condition. 



Kainite sometimes acts very well in preventing development of 

 maggots to their perfect condition, and might be well worth experi- 

 menting with. 



A mixture of paraffin applied at the rate of one quart of paraffin to 

 one bushel of dry material (as ashes, sawdust, shoddy, &c.), and given 

 so as to thoroughly cover the ground of the hills ; or, again, a wash 

 of paraffin and soft-soap might be applied, so far as common practice 

 or experiment shows, without any danger of injuring the Hops ; and 

 from the excellent effects of paraffin or mineral oil as an insecticide, 

 it might be hoped that a wash of this and soft-soap given to the ground 

 early in the year might kill the maggots or chrysalids if lying near 

 the surface. In the experiments which were carried on in 1884 by 

 Mr. A. Ward at Stoke Edith Park, near Hereford, by kind permission 

 of Lady Emily Foley, relatively to checking appearance of Hop Aphis 

 from the ground of the Hop-hills in spring, upwards of seven hundred 

 hills were thoroughly dressed over the surface with paraffin in dry 

 material, as above mentioned, and the plants did well during the 

 whole time of observation recorded, which was from May 3rd until 

 August 21st ; the Hop plants which had been treated with the paraffin 

 and dry material looked well and bore well. The experiments included 

 the somewhat severe trial of pulling the shoots off two rows, but the 

 stocks sent up strong shoots again throxujh the paraffin dressings, thus 

 showing that the tender young leafage was not hurt. 



Gas-lime, which is sometimes useful as an insecticide, when applied 

 as a dressing was found to be very injurious ; of the various rows so 

 treated all were weak and sickly, and one row died. From this ob- 

 servation it would seem that the excellent recipe known as that of 

 Fisher Hobbs's, which answers so well to check Turnip Flea Beetle 

 attack on leafage, might be less safe here. This, as it will be re- 

 membered, is composed in proportions of a bushel of fresh gas-lime to a 

 bushel of fresh lime, and smaller quantities of soot and sulphur. 



In Mr. Bonnor's notes of his remedial experiments (see ante, p. 72) 

 he mentions that he applied "flower of lime, soot, and sulphur in a 

 fine powdery condition, but all to no purpose " ; but he does not 

 mention the time of day of the application. 



With all powder dressings applied to check Flea Beetles, it is very 

 important that they should be given in morning or evening when the 

 dew is on, or when, from weather influences, the leafage is damp, so 

 that the dressings may adhere to the leaves and to the beetles, and 



