Report  on  Wireworm. 
113 
“ I mix  mould  or  ashes  amongst  the  artificial  manure,  and  salt  on  dry  soil 
before  sowing  it.  The  farmyard-manure  I get  turned  if  possible  ten  days  or 
a fortnight  before  using  it,  and  saturate  it  well  with  liquid  manure,  so  as  to 
have  it  in  proper  order. 
“ William  Stoddart,  Steward  for  Lord  Clermoxt, 
Clermont  Park,  Dundalk ." 
“ I have  been  farming  on  gravel  land  on  the  four-course  system,  feeding  off 
the  roots  by  sheep  on  the  land,  and  thereby  treading  it.  As  the  growth  of 
clover  as  often  as  every  fourth  year  encourages  wireworm,  and  the  land  is 
liable  to  become  clover-sick,  I have  occasionally  (when  I had  any  cause  for 
alarm)  substituted  beans  or  peas,  on  about  the  worst  half  of  the  land  for 
clover ; the  other  half  the  same,  next  time.  By  this  means  and  by  firming 
the  land,  and  getting  it  into  good  condition  by  manure,  the  crop  is  better  able 
to  stand  attack  of  wireworm. 
“ Richard  R.  Ridler,  Moreton-on-Lugg,  Hereford." 
“ As  a rule  I always  plant  oats,  or  dredge  (the  latter  a mixture  of  oafs 
barley,  and  peas),  as  I find  the  peas  fill  up  should  the  wireworm  thin  the  oats 
too  much.  Care  should  (I  think)  be  taken  not  to  plough  the  ley-grounds  too 
long  before  planting  the  oats,  &c.  If  the  land  gets  too  stale,  besides  getting 
grassy,  experience  tells  me  the  crops  suffer  most,  therefore  I prefer  not 
ploughing  before  the  beginning  of  the  new  year,  for  sowing  in  February.  I 
also  prefer  sowing  the  corn  broadcast  on  such  ley  ground,  giving  it  as  many 
as  seven  double  turns  with  the  harrows  and  then  rolling  it, — when  drilled  I 
fancy  the  wireworm  follows  the  drills  more  quickly. 
“ The  chief  damage  generally  arises  on  the  succeeding  crop ; * after  the  oats 
I generally  sow  vetches,  the  next  most  certain  crop  and  least  liable  to  the 
attacks  of  the  wireworm  ; after  being  fed  off  and  the  land  planted  with  turnips 
the  same  season  the  roots  generally  fail,  also  the  succeeding  crop  of  barley  is 
sure  to  be  much  injured. 
“ The  good  old  plan  of  paring  and  burning  (breast  ploughing)  old  sainfoin 
and  seeds  is  the  best  way  of  preparing  such  land  for  any  future  crop,  as  it 
destroys  many  of  the  eggs,  &c. ; but  the  increased  cost  and  the  scarceness  of 
labour  render  the  plan  often  impossible. 
“ T.  R.  Hulbert,  North  Cerney,  Cirencester .” 
“ We  have  had  no  wireworm  attack  except  on  one  piece  of  5 acres  of  barley,, 
which  was  almost  entirely  spoilt,  rolling  heavily  being  of  no  avail.  This  was 
old  meadow  land ; but  perhaps  it  is  worth  notice  that  about  one  acre  of  this 
field  which  was  burned  about  five  years  ago  was  not  nearly  so  bad  as  the 
* The  following  note  was  received  in  reply  to  inquiry  regarding  presence  of 
wireworm  sometimes  occurring  in  larger  amount  on  the  second  crop  than  on  the 
one  immediately  succeeding  broken-up  ley  (E.  A,  O.) : — 
“ My  opinion  as  to  why  the  wireworm  attacks  the  second  crop  more  than  the 
first  is,  that  it  is  in  consequence  of  the  mechanical  state  of  the  soil.  When 
ploughed  after  old  ley  the  furrows  come  up  very  tough,  and  after  being  well 
rolled  and  harrowed,  are  so  consolidated  together  that  it  is  difficult  for  the  wire- 
worm  to  make  a fast  progress.  Also  there  is  other  food  (old  roots)  plentifully  at 
hand.  This  is  proved,  I think,  by  ploughing  early,  and  thus  letting  the  old 
roots  rot  too  much  before  planting  the  crop ; consequently  the  wireworm  at  once 
begins  the  new  crop  for  food,  aud  thus  it  suffers  more.  With  the  second  crop 
the -land  is  generally  properly  cleaned:  the  cleaner  it  is  the  more  hollow  and 
loose  the  land  becomes,  and  the  more  the  wireworm  attacks  the  crop ; it  being 
easy  to  get  about,  and  nothing  else  to  feed  upon. 
“ T.  E.  Hclbert,  North  Cerney,  Cirencester." 
I 
VOL.  XIX. — S.  S. 
