FALSE WIKE WORMS OF PACIFIC NORTHWEST. 87 



This treatment is by no means advocated for those farmers who 

 find it impossible to disk their summer-fallow, as leaving the land 

 untouched until July would cause all the accumulated winter's 

 moisture to evaporate, and the plowing would simply be stirring the 

 dust and be of no value whatever. 



In the spring of 1910 a series of experiments was carried out at 

 Wilbur, Wash., to determine the value of certain substances alleged 

 to be useful as poisons or repellents against elaterid larvae. Eleodes 

 larvae were also quite numerous in the fields where these experiments 

 were carried out ; hence mention of the results, though relating prin- 

 cipally to another insect, may not be out of place here. 



Seed in bulk was treated with the following substances : Lead arse- 

 nate, at the rate of two-thirds of a pound per bushel of seed, dissolved 

 in water; strychnine sulphate, at the rate of two-thirds of an ounce 

 per bushel of seed, dissolved in water; coal tar applied until seed 

 was all coated, then sanded until dry. The substances were stirred 

 into the grain thoroughly with a wooden paddle and then allowed to 

 dry several days. 



The experiments were sown in strips with -a wheat seeder 11 

 feet wide and one-half of a mile long. Untreated check strips were 

 planted between each treated plat. 



Just after sprouting the percentage of damage done by insects 

 was estimated by counting the damaged and undamaged seed in 

 several areas of 1 square yard each in each plat. The results were 

 entirely negative as all the plats, including the checks, were about 

 equally attacked. 



These treatments, even had they been found efficient, would have 

 been impracticable from an economic standpoint. The poisons were 

 too expensive and the application too expensive and laborious, and, 

 in addition, the coal-tar treatment, even after drying several days, 

 so clogged the seed cups on the seeder as to cause very uneven dis- 

 tribution of seed. 



ADDITIONAL COPIES of this publication 

 A may be procured from the Supekintend- 

 ent of Documents, Government Printing 

 Office, Washington, D. C. , at 5 cents per copy 



