EAR-COCKLES. 
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live for a month in clean water, and in solution of some kinds of 
alkaloids ; “ but sink at once under the effect of acid or metallic salts." 
The injury caused by the “ Cockle ” galls in the ear is well known, 
hut to what extent the presence of these gall-wormlets, or others of 
the Anguillulidce , causes injury to the roots or leaves, or shoots of 
Wheat, or other corn or grass, needs attention being drawn to it. 
Prof. Henfrey and Dr. Griffith mention the Wlieat-wormlets as 
“ sometimes infesting the young plants, burrowing in the leaf-sheaths, 
where we have found them reproducing by ova in great numbers.* 
Dr. Bastian mentions procuring diseased and stunted growth of 
Wheat plant by using seed which was artificially infected by him with 
wormlets from a “ Cockle ” gall of this same kind (the T. tritici). 
Mr. Carruthers (Consulting Botanist of the Royal Agricultural 
Society), in his paper on “Purples” or “Ear-cockle” in Wheat,! 
alludes to disease caused in the substance of one of the central stems 
of young Wheat plants by the Wheat-wormlet [T. tritici), or an allied 
species; and in his yearly report, presented to the Royal Agricultural 
Society in December last, he gives the following account of diseased 
and distorted growth of Oat plants, caused either by the T. tritici or 
some allied species of the Anguillulidce. 
Mr. Carruthers stated that several cases of Oats destroyed by these 
wormlets had been brought under his notice in the past season. The 
Oats, having reached a height of four to six inches, had their growth 
stopped, and the plants on examination were found to have a number 
of curled-up, twisted, and knotted shoots at the base of the stem 
under the ground or just above the surface. When an injured plant 
was examined it was found that the first or main stem was dead. 
This had been caused by the attack of the minute worms, and the 
young shoots thrown out below the point of attack, being in some cases 
destroyed and in some weakened in their turn by the presence of the 
wormlets, were checked in growth, and the distorted condition above 
mentioned, with crumpled and swollen buds round the base of the 
plant, was the result. 
A very similar attack is caused by another of these wormlets or 
eel-worms, the Tylenchus dipsaci, Kuhn, on Rye, known, amongst other 
names, as “Thick-top.” Without entering on full details, it appears 
the inside of the shoot dies, as above mentioned, and sometimes the 
embryo stem is so stunted that the knots are close on one another, but 
the whole stem not above an inch high, up to the ear; sometimes a 
sickly ear is produced from the mass of shoots, and throughout the 
unhealthy plants the wormlets may be found as eggs, young, or in 
* ‘Micrographic Diet.,’ by J. W. Griffiths, M.D., F.L.S., and Arthur Henfrey, 
F.R.S., F.L.S., &c., p. 37. 
f ‘ Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society,’ vol. xviii., p. 348. 
