Report  on  Wireworm. 
Ill 
Treatment  to  Prevent  Egg-laying  ; to  Destroy  or  Starve 
OUT  WlREWORM. 
Observations  concerning  such  treatment  of  pastures  or  clover 
leys  by  close  grazing,  treacling  with  sheep,  dressing  with  lime, 
gas  lime,  salt,  nitrate  of  soda,  &c.,  as  may  best  prevent  the  click 
beetles  from  laying  eggs,  or  which  may  destroy  such  eggs  or 
wireworms  as  may  be  in  the  soil,  before  the  land  is  broken  up. 
Various  methods  of  ploughing  and  consolidating  the  land,  also 
of  paring,  burning  and  cleaning  out  roots  and  rubbish,  and  of 
cropping  and  manuring  suited  to  starve  out  or  destroy  the  wire- 
worm  and  promote  good  growth  of  the  next  crop. 
“ Feed  down  the  land  as  bare  as  possible  before  ploughing  it,  and  leave  as 
few  stumps  of  grass  as  possible  or  leaves  to  plough  in.  I believe  a top 
dressing  of  lime,  or  lime  and  salt,  to  the  land  after  it  is  eaten  down  bare,  and 
before  it  is  ploughed  would  also  tend  to  check  the  wireworm.  After  the  land 
is  ploughed,  roll  it  down  as  tight  as  possible. 
“M.  Locke  Blake,  near  llminster." 
“ In  order  in  some  degree  to  prevent  mischief  from  this  pest,  it  is  well  to 
consolidate  the  surface  thoroughly  and  to  graze  every  bit  of  plant  off  all  leys, 
or  pastures  which  it  is  desired  to  break  up.  For  this  purpose  sheep  and 
cattle  should  be  fed  with  cake,  corn,  or  other  feeding  stuffs,  so  that  each  inch 
of  land  shall  be  trodden  and  eaten  bare.  By  this  means  the  grub  would  be 
destroyed,  or,  if  it  escaped  being  trodden  to  death,  it  would  find  great  difficulty 
in  obtaining  food,  both  through  the  scarcity  of  vegetation  and  the  solidity  of 
the  surface  soil.  A dressing  of  gas-lime  on  the  surface  and  ploughed  in  has  a 
good  effect  on  any  of  the  worms  which  may  have  escaped  the  treading  and 
starving. 
“ On  land  suspected  of  containing  this  plague,  it  is  advisable  to  sow  the 
crop  broadcast  in  preference  to  sowing  in  drills,  as  the  worm  has  been  observed 
to  follow  the  drill  mark  with  great  regularity,  and  crops  sown  in  drills  have 
been  found  to  suffer  much  more  than  those  sown  broadcast,  the  reason  being 
the  greater  facility  with  which  the  grub  finds  a new  plant  when  it  has  eaten 
the  old  one. 
“ Adam  Lee,  Lydbury  North,  Shropshire, 
“ For  the  Plight  Hon.  the  Eakl  of  Powis.” 
“We  have  no  clover  leys  here,  but  we  have  considerable  trouble  with 
wireworm  in  old  grass  leys.  I treat  these  as  follows  : — 
“ If  the  lea  is  broken  for  oats  (our  general  crop),  it  is  sure  to  be  attacked 
more  or  less  by  wireworm.  I top-dress  with  4 cwt.  agricultural  salt,  2 cwt. 
superphosphate,  and  sometimes  1 cwt.  nitrate  of  soda.  I have  never  found 
this  to  fail  if  applied  in  time.  If  the  lea  is  broken  in  the  autumn  to  have 
green  crops  in  the  following  year,  I have  the  land  worked  as  much  as  possible, 
and  apply  8 tons  hot  lime  to  the  statute  acre — lime  as  hot  as  possible.  I 
always  sow  the  seed  with  a liberal  dressing  of  farmyard  dung  for  such  crops 
as  mangolds,  turnips,  cabbage,  carrot,  and  parsnip,  and  I use  the  following 
dressing  of  artificial : — 2 cwt.  best  bone  meal,  1 cwt.  nitrate  of  soda,  and 
3 cwt.  common  salt.  I find  the  plants  are  soon  forced  up  beyond  the  reach 
of  damage.  On  the  Old  Red  Sandstone  formation,  I find  lime  absolutely 
necessary.  I do  not  think  8 tons  per  acre  is  quite  enough,  and  would  use 
10  tons  if  I could  procure  it  quickly.  That  and  common  salt  will  reduce 
