106 
Report  on  Wireworm.  _ 
head ; and  by  having  six,  and  no  more  than  six,  legs,  they  may 
be  easily  distinguished  from  daddy-long-legs  grubs,  which  have 
none,  and  from  julus  worms,  millipedes,  centipedes,  &c.,  which 
have  many,  and  which  axe  often  confused  with  the  true  “ Wire- 
worm”  or  grub  of  the  click  beetle.  From  the  habits  of  the 
beetle  and  the  locality  where  the  young  wireworms  are  found, 
there  appears  to  be  little  doubt  that  the  eggs  are  laid  either  a 
little  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  near  the  food-plants,  or 
amongst  the  leafage  just  about  the  ground  level. 
For  convenience  of  reference  the  communications  received 
have  been  divided  into  paragraphs,  according  to  the  subjects 
to  which  they  mainly  refer,  and  classified  under  special  headings, 
the  name  and  locality  of  the  contributor  being  in  each  case 
appended  to  the  information  furnished.  The  series  is  thus 
arranged  so  as  to  run  on  continuously,  from  the  commencement  of 
remedial  measures  (in  the  breaking-up  of  pastures  or  leys),  by 
which  egg-laying  may  be  prevented  or  the  wireworm  killed,  to 
the  various  methods  of  treatment  of  the  soil,  the  kinds  of  crops 
calculated  to  prevent  or  forestall  attack,  and  further  notes  on 
various  kinds  of  manures  and  applications  which  have  been 
found  to  check  attack  when  present. 
It  will  be  observed  that  two  of  the  points  mainly  brought 
forward  are  the  importance  of  compressing  the  ground  (by 
methods  varying  according  to  the  nature  of  the  soil  and  the  con- 
dition of  the  crop),  so  that  the  wireworms  may  not  have  free 
passage  in  the  land  ; and  also  of  maintaining  such  a vigorous 
growth  as  may  carry  the  plant  over  the  injury  caused  by  an 
average  attack. 
The  season  of  1882  having  been  generally  favourable  to  plant 
growth,  it  has  turned  out  that  though  wireworm  began  to  run 
early  in  the  season,  yet  that  the  crops  suffered  less  than  was 
threatened,  and  notes  of  serious  damage  have  only  been  returned 
from  a few  districts.  Therefore,  injury  not  being  prevalent, 
few  estimates  have  been  given.  The  following  communications, 
however,  give  some  idea  of  the  power  of  the  wireworm  when 
present  in  the  land. 
Estimates  and  Notes  of  Amount  of  Injury. 
“ The  extent  of  injury  and  money  loss  from  wireworm  is  difficult  to  assess, 
but  on  my  farm  of  1000  acres  (Old  Alresford,  Hampshire)  I do  not  think  I 
shall  be  far  wrong  if  I value  the  loss  from  wireworm,  on  350  acres  of  corn  in 
an  average  of  seasons,  at  not  less  than  21.  per  acre,  or  7001.  per  annum. 
There  is  also  much  damage  to  the  root  crops,  causing  further  loss  from  the 
poorer  condition  of  the  crops,  owing  to  the  less  time  that  the  sheep  are  on  the 
land. 
“ I am  sure  the  loss  on  most  Hampshire  and  South  Wilts  farms  is  quite 
equal  to  the  rent. 
