affecting the Potato-crops. 



97 



planted potatoes in 1844, or if I had collected every one on taking 

 up the crop (which I believe to be out of the question), I am 

 fully persuaded in my own mind that I should have had no wire- 

 worm ; and their numbers in the roots of anemones, on ground 

 where I never can detect wireworms without such roots, induce 

 me to incline to the opinion that gardeners and farmers cause the 

 evil by neglecting preventives." 



Here we have additional evidence of the taste which wireworms 

 evince for potatoes. The tubers left in the ground attracted them 

 to certain spots where they perforated the potatoes and caused 

 their decay. If therefore these potatoes could have been collected 

 before the oats were sown, the crop would have been saved from 

 their incursions. When the first crop of oats was grown, they were 

 probably too young to commit much if any apparent mischief, for 

 I -cannot think they came from any distance ; if such were their 

 habits, they must ere this have been observed when migrating at 

 night. These remarks of Mr. Duncombe also show the value of 

 soot in recovering crops from the attacks of the wireworms, 



In the department of the Moselle, in France, wireworms are 

 very common, and near Metz great numbers have been found by 

 M. Kayer, the Inspector of Agriculture, both in sound and diseased 

 potatoes.* It is worthy of remark that they are a very different 

 wireworm to our common one,| being more like that of Elater 

 murinus and E. lineatus of Bouche,J clearly showing that various 

 wireworms feed upon potatoes, all of them making numerous holes. 

 and burrows in the tubers, both causing and hastening their decay. 



An entire Report having been devoted to the wireworms, when 

 the turnip-crops were under consideration, with descriptions and 

 figures of all the species, it is unnecessary here to enter further 

 upon their economy, § and for the same reasons the false wire-- 

 worms will not long detain us. 



Snake Millipedes 



are found in large numbers in potatoes, as soon as symptoms of 

 decay appear, especially in September, and they consequently 

 complete the destruction which the wireworms began. lulus Lon- 

 dinensis and /. terrestris^ are two of the snake millipedes, which 

 are said to be injurious to early crops in the winter. During 

 frosty and cold weather they lie curled up in the earth, but so slight 

 a degree of warmth is required to awaken them from their torpor, 

 that by merely breathing upon them for a few seconds they awaken 

 from their slumbers, and move about with their accustomed glid- 



* Bulletin des Seances de la Soc. Roy. et Cent. d'Agric, vol. v. p. 331. 



f Journal of Royal Agric. Soc. vol. v. pi. I. f. 2. 



t Ibid., pi. J. f. 40 and 42. § Ibid., vol. v. p. ISO. 



lj Ibid., vol. v. pp. 228 and 229,. pi. J. f. 54. 



VOL. X. H 



