104 
Report  on  Wire  worm. 
sires.  Then  came  Mr.  Bruere’s  “Vesper”  bull  “Regal  Booth”  (27,262), 
Mr.  Pawlett’s  “Mantalini”  bull  “Lord  Blithesome”  (29,067),  Mr.  Booth’s 
“ England’s  Glory”  (23,889),  Mr.  Meade  Waldo’s  “Royal  Fitz-Rose  ” (37,390), 
the  “ Flower  ” bulls  “ Foreign  Prince  ” (36,656)  and  “ Foreign  Glory  ” (39,890), 
Mr.  Booth’s  “Royal  Halnaby”  (39,041),  the  “Riby”  hull  “Riby  Prince” 
(40,593),  and  Mr.  Booth’s  “ King  David  ” (43,417).  The  last-named  bull 
is  at  present  on  hire  from  Warlaby.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  Ardfert 
Abbey  herd  contains  a great  deal  of  valuable  Booth  blood.  Since  1852  annual 
sales  have  been  held  regularly  at  Ardfert  Abbey,  and  from  these  a large 
quantity  of  very  fine  material  has  been  spread  throughout  the  country,  doing 
good  work  wherever  it  has  appeared.  The  price  obtained  for  twenty-five 
young  bulls  in  the  spring  of  1882  was  50  guineas  a-head.  There  are  several 
other  very  good  herds  in  Ireland  deserving  of  mention,  had  space  permitted. 
A noteworthy  and  potent  feature  in  Irish  Shorthorn  breeding  has  been 
the  great  effort  made  by  the  leading  breeders  to  obtain  the  use  of  the  very 
best  material  to  be  found  in  the  principal  English  herds.  At  the  outset. 
Irishmen  declared  in  favour  of  the  Booth  line  of  blood,  and  to  that  choice 
they  have  still  adhered.  It  has  been  seen  that  Booth’s  “Volunteer  ” (1553) 
and  “ Augustus”  (1662)  were  on  hire  in  Ireland,  and  used  by  Mr.  Holmes 
and  Mr.  Ffolliott,  prior  to  1832 ; and  from  that  time  a direct  and  constant 
connection  has  been  maintained  between  Warlaby  and  Killerby  and  the 
chief  Irish  herds.  As  already  indicated,  there  is  a long  list  of  the  best  of 
Booth  bulls  which  have  been  brought  to  Ireland  by  purchase  or  on  hire. 
As  evidence  of  the  enterprise  and  determination  manifested  by  Irishmen  in 
the  selection  of  their  sires,  the  most  important  and  critical  part  of  the 
breeder’s  work,  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  mere  use  for  one  year  of  some 
of  these  Warlaby  bulls  has  entailed  an  outlay  of  nearly  400Z.  If  the  amount 
of  money  which  English  Shorthorn  breeders  have  drawn  from  the  Emerald 
Isle  could  be  counted  up,  the  sum-total  would  excite  the  curious  and  surprise 
every  one. 
III. — Report  on  Wireivorm.  By  Miss  Eleanor  A.  Ormerod, 
Honorary  Consulting  Entomologist  to  the  Society. 
The  following  Report  on  Wireworm  and  measures  found  to  be 
of  service  in  preventing  its  ravages  has  been  prepared  from  in- 
formation forwarded  in  reply  to  the  circular  issued  in  June  ot 
1882,  by  the  Seeds  and  Plant  Diseases  Committee  of  the  Royal 
Agricultural  Society,  by  Members  of  the  Society,  and  also  by 
contributors  to  my  yearly  Reports  on  Injurious  Insects. 
Wireworms  are  the  grubs  or  larvae  of  the  small  beetles  known 
as  “ Skip  Jacks,”  “ Snap,”  or  “Click  Beetles,”  from  their  habit 
of  flying  up  in  the  air  with  a kind  of  snap  or  click  when  laid 
on  their  backs,  and  thus  regaining  their  natural  position.  Like 
other  beetles  they  pass  through  three  stages  (larva,  pupa,  and 
complete  insect),  but  they  differ  from  a large  number  of  species 
in  the  fact  of  continuing  in  the  grub,  or  larval  state  (that  is  as 
wireworms),  for  many  years : the  pupal,  or  chrysalis  stage, 
appears  only  to  last  in  summer  for  a very  short  time — a fortnight 
or  so.  The  change  to  this  state  takes  place  at  a considerable 
depth  in  the  earth,  and  many  of  the  beetles  come  up  from  the 
