282 VEGETABLE FOES AND DISEASES 



the grass and thus destroy the food of the wire-worm. 

 After a few days, plough or dig, or bastard trench 

 the limed land, and on the turned-up soil apply a dress- 

 ing of agricultural salt, ten cwt. per acre, seven 

 pounds per rod. This dressing not only has a bad 

 effect on wire-worm, but kills Couch or Twitch. 

 The liming and salting should be done in late summer 

 or autumn, some weeks before sowing or planting. 



(c) Dress pasture or ley with Mustard dross, one 

 and a quarter cwt. per acre, fourteen ounces per rod, 

 half an ounce (rather less) per square yard, distribut- 

 ing evenly by means of a bellows apparatus, or on 

 small plots by a dredger, shortly in advance of 

 breaking up. Wire-worms are most readily affected 

 by Mustard dross the refuse from Mustard mills 

 but too heavy dressings are injurious. 



On land infested with wire-worm the preventives 

 or remedies mentioned may be adopted for ridding 

 the land of the pests, particularly the Mustard dross 

 dressing, sprinkling on the surface and pointing in, 

 this being an excellent practice in the case of small 

 plots, operating shortly before cropping. Other 

 useful dressings are : 



(d) Kainit, five cwt. per acre, three and a half 

 pounds per rod, applied in autumn or late winter, 

 preferably in the case of land containing much decay- 

 ing matter in conjunction with basic cinder phosphate, 

 ten cwt. per acre, seven pounds per rod, digging in, 

 and at the time of sowing or planting applying two and 

 a half cwt. per acre, one and three quarter pounds per 



