26o CONIFEROUS TREES 



A, nordmanniana suffer to a great extent, and 

 in the case of a newly formed nursery or freshly 

 made-up seed-beds the attacks of the wireworms 

 are always most pronounced. In the case of 

 fresh nursery ground, paring off and burning a 

 couple of inches of the top soil in the autumn has 

 been attended with excellent results, as has also 

 dressing the ground with gas-lime. When seed- 

 lings are attacked, trapping with sliced carrots, 

 mangold, or potatoes, varied with pieces of oil- 

 cake as a bait, is to be recommended. 



Cockchafer {Melolontha vulgaris) is usually pretty 

 abundant, and does most damage by eating the 

 leaves of the sycamore, beech, oak, cherry, and 

 many other trees. It will also eat the roots of 

 most young trees, but those of pines in particular. 

 The insect is about i inch long, and of a 

 chestnut brown colour on the upper part of the 

 body, while the head and sides are of a bronzy 

 green, and thickly covered with yellowish white 

 hairs. 



In April and May the eggs are laid in a hole in 

 the ground about 5 inches deep, and the grubs 

 are hatched in July. They are of a dirty white 

 colour and much wrinkled. In this state they, 

 however, do but little harm ; but, after having 

 changed their skins and remained in a torpid 

 state during winter, come to the surface in spring 

 and eat the roots of almost any plant that 

 comes in their way. They burrow deeper at the 

 approach of winter, coming to the surface again 

 in spring, and, when full-grown, are about i| inch 

 long, and almost three-eighths inch in diameter. 

 The perfect insects do not live more than about 



