156 Rev. F. W. Hope's Remarks on Wireicorms. 



they occasionally rob him of some ripening grain, or stock his 

 wheat up, let him consider, on the other hand, the good they do 

 him by destroying the tens of thousands of the wireworm, and 

 the countless myriads of noxious insects which every where 

 abound. Of the various schemes adopted for destroying the 

 wireworm, the most successful is Sir J. Banks's plan of burying 

 slices of potatoe at the roots of the infected plants in order to 

 entice the worms. If potatoes happen to be scarce, other baits 

 may be successfully used, such as mangel-wurzel, beet, carrots, 

 as well as cabbage-stalks and lettuces, &c., and even the parings 

 of turnips and potatoes. The baits should be regularly examined 

 and the wireworms handpicked from them. When these pests 

 abound in the wheat field. Lord Albermarle's method may be tried, 

 in which he recommends rape-cake as a manure to the ground 

 drilled for wheat. It was sown with rape-cake in powder across 

 the field. This plan, although reported to be successful in saving 

 the forthcoming crop of the year, is not in my mind satisfactory, 

 as it does not follow necessarily, because the crops sown with the 

 above manure are unattacked, that therefore the wireworms are 

 destroyed. The evil, in my opinion, is only deferred for a period ; 

 it is certainly not eradicated. From the above short observations, 

 I trust that sufficient matter has been adduced to prove that 

 agriculture may derive valuable assistance from the science of 

 Entomology, and I feel fully convinced that we can scarcely do 

 a greater act of kindness, or be of more service to the farmer, 

 than by pointing out the nature and habits of those insects which 

 destroy his crops. If one of the avowed objects of this Society 

 is the attempt to preserve the crops of the country, we may pro- 

 bably gain the support of the agriculturist. Institutions like ours 

 do not necessarily command success ; by our measures however 

 we may richly deserve it. 



