a 
WIREWORMS ATTACKING CEREAL AND FORAGE CROPS. 1d 
ance of the soil to that depth at this time would undoubtedly de- 
stroy them. At this time of the year the ground is very hot and 
the air exceedingly dry in this region, and even the resting larvee 
and pupe that were not actually crushed by the cultivation would 
soon succumb to drying when their cells were broken open. The writer 
had considerable trouble in bringing pupe in from the field to his 
rearing cages and was forced to resort to tightly closed tin boxes 
which were fitted in the bottom with moistened blotters. 
The usual farm practice in the region where the dry-land wireworm 
is troublesome may be roughly outlned as follows: Immediately 
after seeding the wheat in early spring the fallow land is plowed to 
a depth of from 4 to 7 inches. This is usually in April, but if 
horses and help can be spared from seeding, the summer fallow is 
plowed as early in the spring as the land can be worked. The next 
operation on the fallow land is disking it late in June or early in 
July to maintain the dust mulch and kill out the weeds and volun- 
teer wheat. Many of the more progressive farmers now advocate, 
and a few practice, fall plowing of stubble and only disking the 
fallow land in the spring. The year following the summer faliow- 
ing the field is disk harrowed early in the spring if the land has run 
together during the winter and is caked; otherwise the land is har- 
rowed with a drag or spike-tooth harrow. It is then seeded and 
dragged and receives no further treatment until harvest. The seeder 
is usually set to sow at a depth of about 3 inches, though if the 
moisture is high enough 1 inch is sufficient. Wheat hay is used 
extensively in this country and is cut while the wheat is in the 
dough, which is usually from July 4 to 15. The wheat crop is har- 
vested from the Ist of August until the 1st of September. 
We recommend altering this practice in order to destroy wire- 
worms in the following manner: 
(1) Disk or drag harrow the summer fallow as early as possible 
in the spring, m order to produce a dust mulch and thereby con- 
serve the accumulated winter’s moisture: (2) continue dishing as 
often as is necessary to maintain the dust mulch and keep down the 
weeds; (3) plow the summer fallow in July or early in August, 
and immediately drag; (4) plow the stubble as soon as the crop 
is off. 
As these worms are of three different ages in most infested fields, 
and as only about one-third of these will be in the pupal stage each 
year, it 1s evident that the first year of this practice will not show 
startling results. However, if the practice is continued for a couple 
of years it will undoubtedly reduce the number of these pests very 
considerably. Aside from its beneficial results in killing insects, this 
method of handling the land will materially reduce the weeds. The 
early disking merely softens up the soil and allows all the weed 
