120 



immediately after the soil is broken up and, as is usually the case, 

 turned under, are especially liable to be injured by wire-worms as 

 well as white grubs; and this is particularly the case if these crops 

 are corn, wheat, or any that are closely related to the grasses. 



Hon. A. B. Dickerson, as quoted by Dr. Fitch, remarks that "I have 

 heard it stated that five bushels of lime to the acre would destroy wire 

 worms. I have tried both, and have sowed ten bushels of salt to the 

 acre, and they only laughed at my folly. I have tried one hun- 

 dred bushels of lime, as recommended, and they fattened on my 

 bounty. I have only proved one remedy for the rascals, and that is 

 to break the sod and sow it to buckwheat, plow late and as often as 

 possible in the fall, and then sow it to peas in the spring. With the 

 like plowing next fall they will not disturb any crop next season. 



This, while casting doubt on saline and alkaline applications, con- 

 tains, in all probability, the central idea of the only true remedy — 

 starving them out. If, after the meadow or sod is broken up, it could 

 be repeatedly plowed deep and thoroughly and allowed to remain en- 

 tirely clean and fallow for a couple of years, it is not probable any 

 crop would be troubled after that for some time; but if it is necessary 

 to use the land, then it should be planted in some crop least likely to 

 serve the worms as food, and when removed the soil should be stirred 

 as often as possible. 



While this is being done, the saline and alkaline applications, if 

 made once a year, would be advantageous. 



And I may state here that in a large part of Illinois I am satisfied 

 lime will prove a most excellent fertilizer, and if used -to a greater 

 extent than it now is would not only more than pay for the expense 

 in increased crops, but would also be of advantage in tending to drive 

 away various injurious insects. 



Late fall plowing has been strongly recommended, but the results of 

 repeated trials lead us to doubt its efficacy; in fact, some who have 

 tried it without a shadow of success have been led to the other ex- 

 treme — that of supposing it injurious. 



Sowing the ground in white mustard is strongly recommended as a 

 means of driving the worms away, as it appears to be obnoxious to 

 them. 



Guano is said to be obnoxious to them, and it is asserted that the 

 worms will leave the ground where it is used as a fertilizer, which I 

 am inclined to think more than likel} 7 if they have any delicacy of 

 taste whatever. 



As the old prairie sod of our State and the adjoining State of Iowa 

 becomes broken up, and the native haunts of the wire-worms disturbed, 

 we may expect them to become more and more troublesome to field 

 crops, unless some measures are taken to eradicate them immediately 

 after the sod is broken. 



Family PTINID/E. 



This family, for which we have no common English name, contains 

 a number of minute species of beetles which often prove very injur- 



