64 Second Report on Economic Zoology. 
infected plant when the dew is on the leaf. In places where the 
snails come from neighbouring downs or woods a small trench may 
also be dug along the border of the field and filled with soot and 
lime, or better still, with gas lime, a precaution which will prevent 
them reaching the crop ; and if the trench be about a foot wide 
many of the snails, as with slugs, will be killed in it. Much good 
may also be done by destroying rubbish heaps and removing stones 
which protect them from the heat and dryness of the air. Many ova 
are deposited in heaps of leaf-mould. If these heaps are dressed with 
quicklime all the ova will be destroyed, as well as many other vermin 
certain to be present. Kockeries and ferneries in and near gardens 
are often centres from which numberless snails proceed. All rough 
herbage should be cleared off these in the winter, and in the spring 
a good dressing of soot put over them to kill the vermin that have 
hibernated there. During the springs of 1894 and 1895 the South 
of England was visited by large numbers of snails and slugs. In 
many districts it was found almost impossible to keep the hordes of 
L. agrestis off the early peas and other early garden produce. 
Sprinkling ash soaked in paraffin did some good. Barley-awns 
soaked in the same I found kept off the slugs to a great extent, the 
sharp points making progress difficult for them. The employment 
of ducks and fowls has been referred to on p. 56. 
Wireworm in Hops. 
Year after year enquiries are made as to how to clean a hop-garden 
of these pertinaceous insect pests, but during the past year they have 
not been so evident as usual in most districts. In the field there is 
really no remedy or even good means of certain prevention, but in 
hop and garden cultivation much can be done. Amongst hops they 
form one of the three most serious and widely distributed pests. 
In parts of Kent they are very harmful. In May Mr. Montague 
Ballard, of Bydews Place, Tovil, wrote to inquire “what is the best 
thing to do to them with regard to hop gardens, and what is their 
life-history ? ” 
The life- history is given in general outline in the Board Leaflet 
No. 10 revised in 1902. The following information dealing with this 
pest in hops was also sent to Mr. Ballard : — 
With regard to wireworm in hops, “ trapping ” is the best 
thing not only for the “ wireworms,” but also for the adult “ click- 
beetles.” My experiments have been only on a small scale regarding 
the latter point, but I have found it so successful I venture to 
