Report  on  Wireworm. 
125 
“ For  several  years  a portion  of  one  of  my  fields  was  infested  with  wire- 
worms  ; and  in  spite  of  rape-cake  and  other  supposed  remedies,  every  suc- 
cessive crop  was  more  or  less  injured,  until  one  autumn  I ploughed  in  refuse 
gas-lime,  and  from  that  time  have  never  seen  a wireworm  in  that  field. 
“ The  Eight  Hon.  the  Eakl  of  Essex,  Cassiobury,  Watford." 
“ I do  not  think  we  are  much  troubled  here  with  wireworm,  except  in 
very  old  pastures,  and  then  our  usual  plan  is  ploughing  up  and  dressing 
with  gas-lime. 
“ W.  Eliott  Lockhart,  Hawick,  N.B." 
“ For  clover-leas  I should  put  about  10  cwt.  of  gas-lime  to  the  acre,  and 
then  plough  it  under.  I think  this  is  a great  preventive.  If  used  for  turnips, 
sow  it  on  broadcast  and  work  it  in,  and  then  add  what  may  be  thought  best 
for  the  crop. 
“ S.  Massey,  Church  Lawton,  Cheshire." 
“ I dressed  a few  acres  with  gas-lime  in  March,  and  it  seems  to  have  freed 
the  ground  wonderfully. 
“ John  Heatley,  Passingham,  Wolverhampton." 
“ Some  years  ago  complaint  was  made  of  the  destruction  of  grain  crops  on 
a limited  portion  of  a field  of  rather  light  soil.  I advised  the  trial  ot  gas- 
lime,  and  several  cart-loads  were  applied  with  the  result  that  not  a trace  of 
wireworm  was  seen  for  several  years  after. 
“ Jos.  Ellaxs,  Anglesey." 
Alkali  Waste. 
This  material,  which  much  resembles  gas-lime  in  its  pro- 
perties, is  sometimes  largely  used  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
alkali  works,  and  is  valuable  on  account  of  its  intensely  caustic 
nature,  which  destroys  all  life  in  weeds  or  insects  alike  that 
it  may  come  in  contact  with,  before  its  nature  is  altered  by 
exposure  to  the  air.  After  this  the  “ waste  ” is  a safe  and 
serviceable  manure,  usually  procurable  at  a very  small  cost,  or 
merely  at  the  remover’s  expense  of  carriage  from  the  works.* 
The  following  communication  is  with  regard  to  the  use  of 
alkali  waste  produced  in  the  manufacture  of  soda-ash  at  Widnes, 
Lancashire. 
“ The  Lancashire  farmers  get  the  waste  for  carting,  and  use  it  in  large 
quantities  to  mellow  heavy  land,  and  destroy  perennial  weeds,  as  couch- 
grass,  coltsfoot,  or  thistles,  but  a dressing  of  2 or  3 tons  per  statute  acre  is 
as  much  as  grass-land  will  bear  at  one  time,  and  then  it  must  be  spread 
quickly,  or  the  heaps  will  destroy  the  grass-roots,  as  well  as  the  herbage. 
* For  further  particulars  see  “Alkali  Waste,”  pp.  616,  617,  ‘Journal  of 
R.  Ag.  Soc.,’  vol.  x.,  1st  series.  From  this  it  appears  that  alkali  waste  when  fresh 
possesses  caustic  properties  highly  dangerous  to  vegetation,  but  after  a time  by 
exposure  to  air  the  sulphur  compounds  are  altered  and  “ essentially,  then,  alkali 
waste  consists  of  sulphate  and  carbonate  of  lime,  and  may  be  used  with  advantage 
and  economy  wherever  gypsum  would  be  of  use.” 
