58 
THE SUGAE-BEET WIEEWORM. 
results, which are summarized in the following table, do not promise 
much for the use of this substance in protecting seeds. 
Table XI. — ■Experiments with cresol as a deterrent against the sugar-beet ivireworm. 
Larvae 
used. 
Seeds 
used. 
Seeds attacked— 
Seeds un- 
touched. 
Larvae 
missing. 
Larvse 
killed by 
fungus. 
Dura- 
tion of 
test. 
1 
Before After 
germtna- germiua- 
tion. tion. 
Experiment 
Check 
50 
50 
25 
25 
25 
25 
15 
15 
10 
10 
10 
10 
8 
10 
6 
4 
5 
7 
3 
2 
2 
6 
4 
3 
2 

1 

2 
1 



2 
1 
Days. 
20 
20 
30 
Check. 
30 
Experiment 
Check 
1 


4 
30 
30 
OTHER SUBSTANCES TESTED AS DETERRENTS. 
The other deterrents will be considered very briefly, since, with 
the possible exception of two, none gave much promise of ultimate 
success. 
Copperas solution.— Seeds soaked overnight in a copperas solution, 
dried, and planted in the pots were almost as readily eaten as those 
in the check cages. 
Copper sulphate. — Copper sulphate did not give much promise as a 
deterrent, as the seeds soaked in a solution of it overnight were eaten 
readily by the ^vire worms, and with apparently no ill effects. 
Potassium sulpTiid. — Seeds treated with a concentrated solution of 
potassium sulphid appeared neither distasteful nor injurious to the 
wireworms. 
Salt. — The seeds treated by soaking in a salt solution seemed for a 
time to be partially immune to the attack of wireworms. By the 
time several tests were completed, however, it was seen that while 
they were more immune from attack just before germmation, enough 
were killed just after germination to make this procedure useless 
from a practical standpoint. 
Sulphur. — Some seeds were coated with, a paste made of equal parts 
of sulphur and flour, and after being allowed to dry were planted. 
When examined later many had rotted and the rest had been riddled 
by the wireworms. Some of the larvse were partially covered with 
sulphur, but did not seem in the least inconvenienced. It was con- 
sidered that this experiment would give negative results, since the 
sulphur, kept under the damp cool soil, would not give off fumes to 
any extent, and hence its best effect would be lost. 
Lead chromate. — Seeds treated as in the foregoing experiment, but 
using lead chromate in place of sulphur, were not protected in the 
least, nearly every seed being drilled through in several places. 
