March  i,  1897. J THE  TROPICAL  AGRIcaLi'aRIST 
593 
When  it  (or  the  gas-lime)  has  done  its  first  work 
in  the  caustic  state,  the  action  of  the  air  gradually 
turns  the  poisonous  properties  to  sulphate  of  lime, 
and  they  become  a good  manure  of  the  nature  of 
gypsum. 
If  a heavy  dressing  of  this  kind  was  spread  on 
land  infested  by  any  grub  at  the  time  when  it  is 
near  the  surface,  and  without  disturbing  the  land, 
we  should  thus  take  it,  as  it  were,  unawares,  and 
it  would  be  destroyed  by  the  poison  before  it  had 
time  to  get  out  of  the  way,  instead  of,  as  is  often 
the  case,  being  merely  made  to  go  down  to  a safe 
depth,  from  which  it  presently  comes  up  again  to 
attack  the  new  crop. 
The  fifth  section  of  beetles  belonging  to  the  great 
division  of  the  Pentamera , or  those  having  custo- 
marily five  joints  to  their  feet  (Jarsi),  is  that  of 
skip-jacks  and  their  allies',  scientifically  the  Stenwxi. 
These  do  little,  if  any,  harm,  in  the  beetle  state, 
but  in  the  grub-state — that  is,  as  what  we  know  as 
wireworms — the  mischief  and  loss  they  cause  to  the 
country  are  beyond  calculation. 
The  wireworms  will  feed  on  the  roots  of  almost 
all  crops  excepting  mustard,  which  they  frequently 
have  been  found  to  avoid,  and  live  for  five  years 
before  they  cease  eating  to  turn  to  chrysalids,  and 
thence  to  chick  beetles.  They  are  commonly  of  a 
yellowish  colour,  and  take  their  name  from  their 
power  of  reg.iiniug  their  position  when  laid  on 
their  backs  by  a sudden  jerk  or  skip  up  in  the  air, 
accompanied  by  a click.  » 
The  female  beetle  lavs  her  eggs  on,  or  a little 
below,  the  surface  of  the  ground,  amongst  leafage 
or  roots,  and  especially  in  such  places  as  grass 
meadows,  or  clover  leys  where  the  surface  is  un- 
disturbed for  a time,  possibly  for  years,  and  con- 
sequently the  ground  below  swarms  with  wire-worms 
of  all  ages.  When  the  pastures  are  broken  up,  these 
rough-skinned  grubs  are  in  no  way  hurt,  but  remain 
in  the  ground,  ready  to  feed  on  each  succeeding  crop 
that  is  put  in,  until  the  time  for  their  change  comes. 
Clover  leys  and  pastures  are  the  main  starting- 
point  of  wireworm-attack  to  our  field  crops,  and 
the  method  of  treatment  may  be  considered  under 
the  two  heads : firstly,  how  to  prevent  egg-laying, 
and  clear  infected  land,  before  re-cropping  or  sow- 
ing ; secondljr,  how  to  lessen  ravage,  or  support  the 
plant  under  it,  if  wireworm  is  found  present  in  the 
growing-crop. 
To  prevent  egg-laying  the  ground  should  be  made 
as  unsuitable  as  it  can  be  for  the  purpose.  It  is 
advised  to'  feed  down  the  grass  as  bare  as  possible 
before  ploughing,  or  to  go  further,  and  pen  sheep 
on  it,  gradually  moving  the  hurdles  forward,  so 
that  every  part  of  the  field  may  be  thoroughly 
trodden.  The  sheep  in  this  case  are  fed  with  tur- 
nips and  other  regular  feeding  stuffs,  and  the  amount 
of  liquid  and  other  manure  thus  worked  into  the 
land  thoroughly  prevents  the  field  being  inviting 
for  eggs  to  he  laid  on  it,  and  destroyes  any  eggs 
that  might  be  on  the  surface.  Dressing  pasture- 
land  with  lime  brought  fresh  from  the  kiln,  and 
spread  hot  so  as  to  burn  the  grass,  answers  well. 
Sowing  salt,  at  the  rate  of  5 to  8 cwt.  per  acre,  on 
grass  or  ley  before  breaking  up,  has  also  been  found 
to  answer,  and  good  dressings  of  caustic  gas-lime, 
or  of  alkali  waste  strong  enough  to  destroy  all  live 
matter  on  the  surface,  are  very  serviceable.  Paring 
t'le  surface,  and  collecting  and  burning  the  parings, 
ets  rid  of  a deal  of  wireworm,  if  the  burning  is 
one  whil  t the  wireworm  is  in  it;  and  in  any  case 
gathering  up  the  surface  rubbish,  and  burning  it, 
is  useful  as  a preventive,  for,  even  if  the  wireworm 
has  left  the  locks  of  roots  for  a time,  we  thus  get 
rid  of  the  knotted  lumps  to  which  it  would  have 
presently  returned,  and  which  would  have  kept  the 
land  open  for  its  passage. 
The  habit  of  the  wireworm  in  feeding  is  to  keep 
near  the  surface,  gliding  about,  as  its  smooth  glassy 
surface  enables  it  to  do,  from  one  plant  to  another, 
eating  out  a piece  here  and  a piece  there,  and  thus 
injuring  the  whole  crop;  and,  if  this  happens  whilst 
the  crop  is  in  its  first  growth,  the  value  even  of 
those  plants  that  struggle  through  is  much  lessened. 
For  this  reason  the  main  points,  in  preparation  of 
ground  to  carry  the  plant  over  attack,  consist  in 
treatment  that  will  give  a good  seed-bed,  and  mixing 
the  soil  with  such  chemical  manures  as  will  be 
good  for  the  plant  and  unsatisfactory  at  least  to 
the  wire-worm  ; also  so  to  clear  the  ground  of  rub- 
bish and  work  it  that  it  may  be  sufficiently  firm  (or 
admit  of  being  sufficiently  firmed  ’’  by  treatment 
afterwards)  to  prevent  the  travelling  of  the  wireworm. 
For  this  purpose  it  is  advised  to  plough  in  good  time 
in  autumn,  and  work  the  land  well  so  as  to  get  it 
in  good  order  and  consolidated,  and  either  by  burning, 
rotting,  or  whatever  means  may  be  preferred,  pre- 
vent it  being  kept  open  and  full  of  harbours  for 
wireworms;  stubble  and  roots,  cabbage  stalks  or 
beanhaulm,  and  all  such  matters,  are  wire  worm-helpers. 
If  we  took  down  the  notes  of  special  applications 
found  serviceable  to  plough  in,  we  see  constantly 
repeated  : salt,  salt,  salt,  gas-lime,  gas-lime,  hot  lime, 
lime  and  salt ; and  in  a less  degree  (probably  be- 
cause it  is  not  so  well-known)  alkali  waste  is  also 
highly  recommended.  Kainite  also  is  useful,  and 
regular  fertilisers,  as  superphosphate  and  nitrate  of 
soda.  But  it  is  worth  notice,  especially  in  prepara- 
tion of  ground  for  turnips,  that  there  is  a great 
doubt  whether  wireworm  is  not  often  encouraged  by 
the  use  of  farm  manure.  The  wireworms  of  two  of 
the  commonest  kinds  of  click  beetle  have  been  found 
respectively  in  dung,  aud  in  well-rotted  horse  dung. 
It  is  considered  by  some  farmers  that  crops  so  manured 
are  the  most  infested,  and  if  we  consider  that  in 
this  manure  a large  portion  of  the  material  is  still 
unchanged  vegetable  matter,  of  much  the  same  kind 
as  wireworms  would  naturally  feed  on,  it  gives  a 
reason  for  attention  to  this  point.  Thorough  salting 
of  farm  manure  has  been  advised  to  get  over  this 
difficulty.  It  should  also  be  remembered  that  heaps 
of  decayed  turf  are  headquarters  of  wireworm,  unless 
treated  with  caustic  lime,  salt,  or  the  like  dressings ; 
also  that  (take  what  pains  we  will)  if  grass  head- 
lands or  grass  strips  are  left  across  or  by  our  fields, 
there  we  make  homes  for  the  wireworms,  and  they 
will  add  all  requisite  confortable  provision  from  our 
crops.  The  only  crop  which  wireworm  appears  to 
ha-ve  customarily  a great  objection  to  is  mustard. 
This,  therefore,  is  sometimes  useful  as  a cleaning 
cr^. 
"When  wireworm  is  present,  strong  fertilisers — such 
as  nitrate  of  soda,  guano,  superphosphate,  or  others — 
are  serviceable ; and  mechanical  means,  such  as 
heavy  rolling,  are  of  use,  for  thus  the  creature  is 
prevented  travelling,  and  some  of  the  pests  are  pro- 
bably set  fast  and  killed.  Treading  by  sheep  or 
cattle,  or  by  the  heavy  iron-shod  feet  of  horses, 
similarly  firms  the  soil  serviceably.  The  wireworm 
can  be  drawn  away  from  the  attacked  plants  by 
dressings  nf  rape-cake  or  Indian  rape,  that  is,  mustard- 
cake,  and  in  the  latter  case  has  been  found  by  ex- 
periment to  perish  in  about  a fortnight  where  it 
had  no  other  food,  and,  connecting  this  with  the 
power  of  mustard  as  a cleaning  crop,  it  suggests  that 
further  experiment  would  be  useful. 
These  are  some  of  the  main  points  of  wireworm 
prevention Prevent  egg-laying;  clear  the  ground 
of  wireworm,  and  get  a good  start  for  the  plant ; 
keep  up  the  strength  of  the  plant  under  attack,  and 
keep  the  power  of  the  wireworm  in  check ; and 
als3  do  not  dress  your  land  with  wireworm,  either 
in  decayed  turf,  or  by  letting  grass  homes  for  it 
be  amongst  your  crops.  The  subject  is  o e of  great 
importance. 
■ -♦ 
AGRICULTURE  IN  THE  ALPES 
MARITIMES. 
The  visitor  who  goes  to  the  Riviera  in  search  of 
health  or  pleasure  during  the  winter  months,  and  who 
confines  himself  to  the  fashionable  towns  on  the  coast 
would  not  be  inclined  at  fir.st  sight  to  consider  the 
department  of  the  Maritime  Alpes  as  an  agricultural 
district.  It  is,  however,  strictly  one  of  the  agricul- 
tural departments  of  France.  There  are  few  manu- 
factures. The  most  important  are  the  perfumery 
