ANGUILLULIDiE. 
9 
with the spade would be a very good remedy, for thus the clean 
uninfested earth would be brought to the surface; but mere digging, 
or even “ double digging,” in both of which the soil is only broken up 
for as far down as the work may go, cannot be expected to get rid of the 
attack. It is plain that wherever a piece of infested plant, or of 
infested earth, remains, that from it these Eelworms, which are gifted 
with most extraordinary life-powers, will start operations again. 
Where land is known to he infested , and for any reason proper 
cultivation of the surface cannot be applied, a scourging dressing of 
gas-lime in caustic state would probably be a desirable application. 
As the Eelworms lie near the surface, this might be expected to kill 
them all, but of course proper care must be taken to leave the gas-lime 
exposed, and the land unworked and uncropped for some weeks, or the 
succeeding crop would almost certainly be poisoned. On this point 
I would give all necessary information, or forward the excellent leaflet, 
‘ On Composition and uses of Gas-Lime,’ by the late Dr. Aug. Volcker, 
Consulting Chemist of the Royal Agricultural Society of England, 
which leaflet is not as well known as it should be. 
Transportation of the Eelworms in fodder , in manure , or in infested 
earth .— As it has been found that the T. devaslatrix can survive the 
operations of digestion in animals fed on fodder infested by it, how 
best to manage the probably infested manure is a point for agricultural 
consideration. If it is carried back to the fields, it is quite likely that 
the Eelworms will go back in it and start attack on Oats or Clover, or 
whatever may suit them. 
The most practicable plan* (though not perfect) would seem to be 
great care not to give dung from “stem-sick” Clover, or “ Tulip-rooted” 
Oats to fields where either Clover or Oats were to be the next crop. 
A vigorous, healthy, rapid growth is a great help towards checking 
the mischief, and rich manuring is advised for crops sown on land 
which has been previously deeply ploughed to get rid of Eelworm- 
attack; but also it is recommended by Dr. Kuhn that this should be 
not of stable-manure, which may very likely contain the pest, but 
rather of guano or superphosphate. 
Infested earth may easily carry the Eelworms from one place to the 
• other, and where garden-refuse is thrown to a common farm manure- 
heap, infested Onions, or Hyacinths, which are exceedingly subject to 
this attack, are very likely to cause mischief, and the little patches of 
* In the above notes I have not entered on the powers of what is called latent 
life possessed by Tylenchi, that is, the power of remaining dried up for years and 
recovering when moistened, or again, the torpid condition which may be brought 
on by presence of various matters, or by decay, and recovered from by washing 
away the offensive matter. For these points, and many others relative to Tylenchus 
devastatrix, the reader is referred to the excellent work, ‘ L’Anguillule de la Tige,’ 
by Dr. Ritzema Bos, previously quoted. 
