THE HOP PLANT. 53 



the tips of the young shoots before the latter appear above 

 ground ; later on the worm attacks the roots. The injury 

 is specially pronounced when the spring is cold and the 

 shoots take a long time to come up. One remedy is to put 

 down round the stocks pieces of potato or carrot, which 

 vegetables are liked by the wireworm. On going round after 

 a day or two and picking up the pieces of bait they will be 

 found covered with the larvae. The insects should also be 

 be collected and destroyed when the hops are being cut or 

 hoed. 



5. Julus guttulatus Fp., a millipede infesting the young 

 shoots, is voracious, but does comparatively little damage. 



6. Hepialus humuli L., the otter or ghost moth, lays its 

 eggs on the stem during the months of May and June. The 

 grubs make their way down the stem into the ground, where 

 they dwell until the following April, causing an amount of 

 damage which may attain serious dimensions. The sole 

 means of prevention is by collecting the grubs and pupae 

 when the stocks are uncovered for cutting. , These grubs 

 also feed on the roots of the carrot, lettuce, plants of the 

 nettle tribe, etc. 



7. Omaloplia variabilis is a ground beetle, observed by 

 Nordlinger, but first described by Stambach. Both beetle 

 and larva inhabit the soil and feed on roots, the eggs 

 being deposited on the rootstocks in May. This pest is 

 difi&cult to get rid of. 



8. Plinihus porcatus Panz. {PI. arenarius Ziegl., PI. pordulus 

 F. Oliv. Gyll., PI. Schalleri Germ. Boh.) is a weevil beetle 

 which effected great destruction in southern Styria in 1893. 

 It was investigated by Kraus and Hiendlmayer, the former 

 of whom reports as follows : — 



" This parasite causes a deal of damage, particularly in 

 the larval state, the growth of the plant being retarded, 

 the bine weak, yellow, and unhealthy in appearance, and 



