6 FARMERS’ BULLETIN 1725. 
REMEDIAL MEASURES. 
The corn wireworms are almost exclusively confined to poorly 
drained and heavy soils. Heavily liming and thoroughly tile-draining 
land infested with these wireworms would undoubtedly prove bene- 
ficial. The thorough cultivation of waste land, especially along 
drainage ditches and creeks, during midsummer, and the deep culti- 
vation of crops and fallow land at the same time would destroy large 
numbers of them. 
THE MEADOW WIREWORMS. 
The meadow wireworms, including the sugar-beet wireworm and 
the confused wireworm, do far more damage than they are generally 
given credit for. In the Pacific Northwest they damage corn and 
potatoes and other truck crops. They have also been found doing 
considerable damage in the New England States and the upper Missis- 
sippi Valley. In the Northwest they seem to be much more destruc- 
tive on irrigated lands than on the dry-farming lands, while in the 
eastern United States they seem to be confined to poorly dramed 
areas, as are the corn wireworms. Meadow wireworms look very 
much like the dry-land wireworm and can be easily distinguished 
from the other wireworms which are important as crop pests by the 
forked tail. The meadow wireworms attack corn, potatoes, tomatoes, 
onions, cabbage, radishes, turnips, horse-radish, spinach, sugar beets, 
and alfalfa. They burrow into the underground parts of the plants, 
often killing corn, tomatoes, cabbage, or onions. They do not seem 
to attack beans or peas, and these crops might be of considerable 
value in clearing badly infested fields prior to seeding to corn. The 
meadow wireworms spend three years in the ground and change to 
beetles during July and August of their third summer. 
REMEDIAL MEASURES. 
Thorough tile draining of infested fields in the eastern areas and deep 
cultivation during July and August wherever possible will destroy 
large numbers of these wireworms. As most of this poorly drained 
land is inclined to be acid, the tilth will be greatly improved by the 
addition of lime at the rate of about 2 tons to the acre, using air-slaked 
lime. The use of lime, however, has been treated very fully in both 
Government and State publications, and it would be advisable for 
_ the farmer to apply to the State or Federal authorities for the rate 
and kind of lime to use in his particular case. 
On irrigated land experiments are being made to determine remedial 
measures. 
THE CORN AND COTTON WIREWORM. 
The beetle of the corn and cotton wireworm (fig. 4, @) is small, 
cylindrical, and dusky brown, measuring a trifle over three-sixteenths 
inch in length. The ‘‘worm’’ (fig. 4, 6) is very unlike any of the 
other wireworms. It is not hard and wiry, but soft and elongate. 
The body usually is white and apparently is composed of 26 joints. 
