134 
Report  on  Wireworm. 
in  Kirk  Andreas  ; injury  at  several  places  in  Levzayre  on  light 
soil  running  to  gravelly  loam,  not  on  strong  earthy  soil  ; at 
Kirk  Bride  injury  in  this  or  preceding  years  to  some  extent  on 
light  soil.  In  Jurby  attack  occurs  on  gravel  and  sand,  but  less  on 
light  land,  possibly  from  the  regular  use  of  liquid  manure  ; and 
looking  at  the  returns  as  a whole,  they  appear  to  show  both 
absence  and  presence  of  wireworm  more  or  less  on  all  kinds  ol 
soils. 
For  direct  remedy  the  customary  treatment  of  rolling  is 
advised,  together  with  applications  which  may  make  the  ground 
unsuitable  to  the  wireworm,  or  may  push  a vigorous  growth  of 
the  plant,  as  gas-lime,  salt,  soot,  and  also  guano,  and  liquid 
manure.  Seaweed  is  a good  deal  used  on  the  island,  and  its 
application  as  a manure  is  noted  at  three  places  where  slight 
attacks  of  wireworm  occurred  ; but  in  reply  to  inquiries  on 
this  subject  so  many  contributors  have  entered  “no  seaweed 
used,”  that  I have  not  thought  it  necessary  to  note  the  non- 
application. 
Lime  appears  to  be  very  seldom  used,  but  (judging  by  the 
returns)  to  have  a good  effect  when  it  is  applied,  and  especially 
in  one  instance,  where  a liming  a few  years  ago  was  followed 
in  the  present  season  by  the  application  of  kainite  and  super- 
phosphate. 
The  observations  regarding  rooks  are  well  worth  considera- 
tion, as  showing  that  the  good  these  birds  do  in  clearing  out 
wireworm  is  by  no  means  of  an  unmixed  kind.  There  is  no 
doubt  either  in  the  Isle  of  Man,  or  elsewhere,  that  rooks  clear 
wireworm  and  other  larvae ; but  still  where  soil,  state  of  crop, 
or  want  of  food  are  such  that  the  rooks  grub  up  and  destroy  the 
plants  bodily,  it  is  matter  of  thought  whether  their  numbers 
should  not  be  lessened,  or,  at  least,  boys  employed  to  frighten 
them  off  the  crop  during  the  few  days  after  thinning,  when 
their  work  does  much  more  harm  than  good.  The  following 
communication  is  also  from  the  Isle  of  Man,  but  being  at  some 
length  did  not  admit  of  tabulating  : — 
“No  injury  of  any  great  importance  has  been  caused  by  the  wireworm  this 
season ; the  crops  most  affected  are  those  grown  after  green  crops  and  upon 
stubble  ; the  previous  crops  to  the  injured  ones  were  summer  fallows,  potatoes, 
turnips,  and  wheat  out  of  lay ; but  corn  on  ley,  which  was  on  heavy  clay  soil, 
has  been  almost  free  from  injury;  and  uninjured  crop  followed  sown  seeds 
and  young  pasture. 
“The  soil  is  fairly  good,  sharp,  gravelly  loam,  intermingled  by  runs  of 
white  clay  and  peat,  that  which  is  most  affected  is  light,  open,  sandy  loam, 
and  dry  peat. 
“ The  land  was  well  dressed  with  farmyard-manure  and  bone  superphos- 
phate. Very  little  lime  is  applied,  about  1 ton  per  acre  in  a five-course  shift. 
No  seaweed  is  used. 
“ Seed  sown — of  the  injured  crops  generally  in  March  and  April — of  the 
