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Wireworms and Millepedes. 



Next in importance, as causing injury to the growing 

 tubers, are the several kinds of wireworms and mille- 

 pedes. Wireworms are the larvae of the genera of 

 beetles known as Elater, Athous, and Agriotes, 

 belonging to the large family of Elateridae, but those 

 which do the most harm to potatoes are species of the 

 genus Agriotes namely, Agriotes lineatus, A. spectator, 

 and A. obscurus, and the worst of these is lineatus. 

 The wireworm is the larva of the Click Beetle, and it 

 is found that they remain in the grub state from three 

 to five years before going down into the soil to change 

 into the chrysalid form, from which, in a few weeks, 

 the beetle emerges, or if late in the year the insect 

 may Jie in the pupa stage through winter. True wire- 

 worms have three pairs of short legs, one pair being 

 placed on each of the rings, immediately behind the 

 head, and they have also a sucker foot below the tail. 

 They are usually of a yellow ochreous colour, with 

 hard, shelly skin, arid are most commonly met with 

 extended at full length. 



Millepedes, False Wireworms, Julus Worms, are 

 names given to several worms somewhat similar in 

 their destructive habits to the True Wireworms. They 

 belong to the family Julida3. Four species are com- 

 monly met with : 1, Julus londinensis, nearly an inch 

 in length, is of a dark lead colour, cylindrical in shape, 

 and is often found curled up ; 2, Julus terrestris is 

 rather larger than J. londinensis, though in other 

 respects it is very similar; 3, J. guttatus is of an 



