﻿32 
  ROBERT 
  VEITCH. 
  

  

  The 
  ravages 
  of 
  this 
  pest 
  are 
  particularly 
  severe 
  in 
  newly 
  planted 
  fields 
  of 
  cane. 
  

   Stools 
  of 
  cane 
  of 
  all 
  ages 
  are 
  attacked, 
  but 
  it 
  is 
  only 
  in 
  the 
  earlier 
  stages 
  that 
  the 
  plant 
  

   succumbs 
  to 
  the 
  injury, 
  for 
  once 
  it 
  is 
  properly 
  established 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  able 
  to 
  survive 
  

   the 
  attacks 
  of 
  the 
  wireworms, 
  being 
  then 
  sufficiently 
  vigorous 
  to 
  send 
  out 
  new 
  eyes 
  

   and 
  roots 
  to 
  replace 
  those 
  destroyed 
  by 
  them. 
  The 
  wireworms 
  in 
  newly 
  planted 
  fields 
  

   commence 
  the 
  attack 
  by 
  eating 
  the 
  butts 
  or 
  the 
  ends 
  of 
  the 
  sets 
  or 
  cuttings 
  of 
  cane, 
  

   and 
  then 
  five 
  or 
  six 
  days 
  later 
  they 
  turn 
  their 
  attention 
  to 
  the 
  eyes 
  and 
  roots, 
  which 
  

   by 
  that 
  time, 
  provided 
  germination 
  conditions 
  have 
  been 
  favourable, 
  have 
  started 
  

   to 
  swell 
  and 
  come 
  away. 
  The 
  small 
  roots 
  are 
  frequently 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  in 
  a 
  bad 
  

   attack 
  only 
  20 
  or 
  30 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  eyes 
  escape 
  injury. 
  The 
  wireworm 
  attacking 
  

   the 
  eye 
  eats 
  a 
  hole 
  at 
  the 
  base 
  and 
  then 
  devours 
  the 
  whole 
  of 
  the 
  softer 
  inner 
  tissues, 
  

   thus 
  killing 
  it. 
  Eyes 
  that 
  have 
  germinated 
  and 
  sent 
  up 
  shoots 
  nine 
  or 
  twelve 
  inches 
  

   long 
  are 
  also 
  attacked 
  and 
  frequently 
  so 
  badly 
  damaged 
  that 
  they 
  die 
  off. 
  The 
  

   greatest 
  damage 
  to 
  the 
  eyes 
  and 
  young 
  roots 
  occurs 
  in 
  the 
  second 
  and 
  third 
  weeks 
  

   after 
  planting. 
  In 
  a 
  bad 
  attack 
  as 
  many 
  as 
  75 
  per 
  cent, 
  of 
  the 
  sets 
  or 
  cuttings 
  are 
  

   completely 
  destroyed. 
  

  

  Heavy 
  additional 
  expenditure 
  is 
  incurred 
  when 
  a 
  newly 
  planted 
  field 
  is 
  badly 
  

   injured, 
  for 
  the 
  numerous 
  misses 
  or 
  failures 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  replaced 
  by 
  new 
  sets 
  or 
  trans- 
  

   plants, 
  and 
  this 
  is 
  a 
  costly 
  operation, 
  especially 
  if 
  the 
  latter 
  are 
  used. 
  

  

  Preventive 
  and 
  remedial 
  measures 
  are 
  urgently 
  required 
  for 
  the 
  control 
  of 
  this 
  

   beetle, 
  but 
  unfortunately 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  be 
  particularly 
  healthy, 
  being 
  apparently 
  free 
  

   from 
  parasitic 
  and 
  predaceous 
  enemies 
  and 
  also 
  immune 
  to 
  the 
  most 
  virulent 
  poisons 
  ; 
  

   this 
  latter 
  fact 
  was 
  demonstrated 
  in 
  a 
  poisoning 
  trial 
  in 
  which 
  the 
  wireworms 
  feeding 
  

   on 
  the 
  poisoned 
  cane 
  seemed 
  if 
  anything 
  even 
  healthier 
  than 
  those 
  feeding 
  on 
  the 
  

   control 
  sets. 
  The 
  following 
  measures 
  have, 
  however, 
  been 
  found 
  very 
  beneficial 
  in 
  

   minimising 
  the 
  losses 
  :— 
  (1) 
  In 
  fields 
  known 
  to 
  suffer 
  from 
  wireworm 
  attacks 
  it 
  is 
  

   well 
  to 
  make 
  provision 
  for 
  failures 
  by 
  the 
  continuous 
  planting 
  of 
  a 
  certain 
  proportion 
  

   of 
  the 
  rows 
  ; 
  usually 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  space 
  of 
  at 
  least 
  fifteen 
  inches 
  between 
  the 
  sets 
  or 
  

   cuttings 
  in 
  the 
  rows, 
  but 
  in 
  continuous 
  planting 
  no 
  such 
  space 
  exists 
  and 
  hence 
  the 
  

   number 
  of 
  sets 
  per 
  row 
  is 
  much 
  greater 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  rows. 
  When 
  required 
  

   the 
  surplus 
  stools 
  in 
  the 
  rows 
  planted 
  continuously 
  should 
  be 
  dug 
  up 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  blanks 
  

   or 
  misses 
  in 
  the 
  ordinary 
  rows. 
  This 
  transplanting 
  should 
  be 
  done 
  only 
  in 
  wet 
  weather. 
  

   (2) 
  Transplants 
  only 
  should 
  be 
  used 
  to 
  fill 
  the 
  gaps, 
  as 
  new 
  sets 
  are 
  at 
  once 
  attacked 
  

   by 
  the 
  wireworms 
  and 
  many 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  destroyed 
  ; 
  the 
  transplants 
  being 
  older 
  are 
  

   better 
  able 
  to 
  resist 
  the 
  attack, 
  and 
  if 
  good 
  rains 
  fall 
  shortly 
  after 
  transplanting, 
  

   very 
  few 
  of 
  them 
  fail, 
  and 
  so 
  a 
  full 
  stand 
  of 
  cane 
  is 
  obtained. 
  (3) 
  The 
  cane 
  on 
  alluvial 
  

   flats 
  should 
  be 
  second 
  ratooned, 
  as 
  by 
  so 
  doing 
  the 
  annual 
  planting 
  area 
  is 
  reduced, 
  

   and 
  thus 
  the 
  annual 
  loss 
  from 
  wireworms 
  is 
  minimised. 
  (4) 
  Drainage 
  should 
  be 
  im- 
  

   proved 
  wherever 
  possible, 
  and 
  the 
  importance 
  of 
  clean 
  cultivation 
  cannot 
  be 
  over- 
  

   estimated. 
  

  

  The 
  Yellow 
  Wireworm 
  (Lacon 
  stricticollis, 
  Fairm.) 
  (fig. 
  7). 
  

  

  This 
  species 
  is 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  destructive 
  as 
  S. 
  cinnamoneus, 
  being 
  much 
  less 
  

   numerous 
  and 
  not 
  nearly 
  so 
  voracious 
  ; 
  it 
  is 
  occasionally 
  met 
  with 
  in 
  numbers 
  in 
  

   alluvial 
  soils 
  and 
  it 
  also 
  occurs 
  in 
  red 
  hill 
  and 
  sandy 
  soils, 
  but 
  is 
  never 
  so 
  abundant 
  

   as 
  the 
  common 
  species. 
  

  

  