Report  on  Wireworm. 
127 
“ From  inquiry  made  at  some  of  the  coast  farms  it  appears  that  they  are 
never  troubled  by  wireworm.  It  is  quite  possible  that  the  seaweed  applied  to 
the  soil  is  a preventive. 
“ D.  Husband,  Struthers,  Cupar,  Fife.” 
“As  far  as  my  information  and  observations  go,  wireworm  is  not  very 
troublesome  in  this  district.  Seaweed  is  used  a good  deal  by  some  of  the 
small  farmers  about  here,  principally  for  potatoes  in  sandy  soil. 
“ Joseph  Ellans,  Bodorgcm,  Anglesey .” 
Rape-Cake,  Meal,  &c. 
Communications  regarding  the  serviceableness  of  various 
kinds  of  rape-cake,  nuts,  or  meal  in  diminishing  amount  of 
injury  from  wireivorm-attack,  whether  by  acting  as  a fertiliser 
or  by  attracting  the  wireworm  away  from  the  crop.* 
The  entries  to  which  an  asterisk  is  prefixed  refer  to  observa- 
tions regarding  “ Indian  ” Rape,  i.e.,  Mustard  Cake. 
“ Found  rape  cake  of  great  service  in  stopping  the  ravages  of  wireworms  to 
growing  crops,  either  because  they  preferred  it  to  the  plants  (as  could  be  seen 
* The  following  experiments  were  tried  in  consequence  of  the  belief  often 
expressed  that  wireworms  feed  so  greedily  on  rape-cake  that  they  burst.  This, 
however,  I did  not  find  to  occur  in  any  instance. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  the  manager  of  the  Phoenix  Oil  Mills,  Liverpool,  and 
of  Messrs.  Ayre,  Waterloo  Mills,  Hull,  I was  supplied  well  with  the  “Indian” 
rape-cake  from  the  former,  and  with  Black  Sea  rape-cake  from  the  latter  firm. 
These  two  kinds  are  both  known  to  be  serviceable  for  manure,  but  I found  them 
somewhat  different  in  their  action  on  wireworms. 
The  Indian,  or  Kurrachee,  cake  is  formed  from  mustard-seed ; this  I pouuded 
into  small  lumps  and  dust,  and  mixed  it  with  water,  and  then  placed  a good 
supply  of  healthy  wireworms  on  it,  with  a little  bit  of  turf.  For  about  three 
days  the  smell  of  the  mustard  was  very  powerful,  and  the  wireworms  would  not 
leave  their  turf ; and  those  that  were  placed  on  the  mustard-cake,  which  pre- 
sumably had  still  its  stinging  power,  appeared  very  uneasy. 
About  the  fourth  day  a putrescent  smell  succeeded  that  of  mustard,  and  the 
wireworms  began  to  go  into  the  cake  where  they  fed  (or,  at  least,  I presume  they 
fed,  as  there  was  nothing  else  for  food)  for  about  a fortnight.  They  seemed  all 
well  and  thriving  until  the  end  of  the  fortnight,  when  I found  many  dead,  or 
dying.  I put  fresh  turf,  and  broken  potato  and  turnip  in  addition  to  the  cake, 
but  all  died. 
The  wireworms  which  I placed  on  Black  Sea  rape-cake  (that  is,  true  rape), 
broken  and  moistened  as  above  mentioned,  went  into  it  at  once,  and,  like  the  others, 
fed  (or  appeared  to  feed,  having  no  other  supply)  ; but,  whereas  the  mustard-cake 
wireworms  died  in  about  a fortnight,  these  were  still  alive  at  a period  of  three  weeks 
or  more  after  having  been  put  on  the  cake.  I cannot  tell  how  much  longer  they 
would  have  lived,  for  it  was  difficult  to  keep  the  cake  in  an  evenly-moist  state  ; 
and  by  disturbance  in  examination,  and  possibly  by  attack  of  birds,  the  specimens 
lessened  in  number;  but  from  August  2 to  August  22  might  be  taken  as  a time 
during  which  they  were  thriving.  None  of  the  wireworms  which  were  experi- 
mented on  burst  from  effects  of  eating,  but  it  frequently  occurred  that  when  one 
was  dead,  or  had  so  stiffened  itself  that  it  was  cracked  across  in  being  moved, 
that,  consequently,  its  white  contents  burst  out  where  it  was  broken,  and  this 
may  not  improbably  have  given  rise  to  the  belief  above  referred  to. — E.  A.  O. 
