22 
for a few weeks, and if we can support the plants 
through this all will be well, for, in the case of a second 
brood, the crop will by that time be too much advanced 
to be readily devastated. But even with those two great 
scourges, the Wireworm and the grub of the Baddy 
Longlegs, the same principle holds good, and is indeed 
very often all we can fall back on for trustworthy remedy, 
if these larvae have been allowed to establish themselves 
in the ground. Both of these most destructive grubs 
are in the habit of partly eating through the root or the 
stem close to the root of the plant they attack,—they do 
not always sever it,—consequently, though it is by no 
means in all cases killed, yet a large portion of its power 
of drawing up food is cut through, and the plant suffers 
in this proportion. In such circumstances, if a dressing 
of some stimulating manure which will dissolve down to 
the roots with the first rain-storm, is given (such as 
guano, for instance), it will act at once on the plant 
growth, and be highly beneficial. We had instances of 
this well worked out in the bad attacks of Tipidce larvae 
last year. 
I have now endeavoured, although by no means with 
the force or clearness that the importance of the subject 
calls for, to lay before you some points for your considera¬ 
tion. What we need is such a knowledge of the main 
divisions and habits of insect-life as will help us to know 
in case of attack what it is that is injuring us, and also 
what general principles of insect and of plant-life 
jointly to work on. The knowledge of the life-history of 
our common injurious insects is needed by all who grow 
the crops that are food-plants to these destroyers as well 
as to ourselves, for thus, in some cases, we are warned 
betimes, and in others we know (however threatening it 
may look) that the attack is only a passing evil which 
extra food will carry the temporarily weakened plants 
over. There is no difficulty in this,—probably each one 
in this room has such a practical acquaintance with the 
workings in the crops of the regular crop-feeders as 
would enable him to follow up the subject for himself by 
