Remedies.

If wheat plants show signs of wireworm attack soon after they are up in November, from forty to fifty bushels of soot should be put on per acre, or seven or eight cwts. of gas lime. These and other applications of the same nature often tend to dislodge the wireworms and keep them away from the plants, as they feed just under the ground in the slightly bulbed bases of the stems, a little above the crown of the roots. A little nitrate of soda might be put on advantageously to stimulate the plants. In the winter, unless the season is mild, the wireworms do not trouble the wheat page 30 plants, but they commence operations again upon the first indications of spring. Directly therefore the land can be got upon it should be well rolled down with plain and ring rollers to compress the soil tightly round the plants. Nitrate of soda, or sulphate of ammonia, or guano should be applied at this time to force the plants along quickly. Treading light "hover" wheat land with sheep is useful occasionally, and beneficial to the plants in some circumstances. It is supposed that treading and rolling the land kill the wireworms, but this is a mistake, for these processes merely press the earth down firmly close to the plants, thereby hindering the movements of the insects; these are much too tough to be killed in this way.

When oats and barley are attacked the land should be well rolled, and dressings of stimulating manures put on before the rollings. Crops of these grains have been saved by broadcasting from six to eight cwts. of ground rape cake upon them. wireworms are particularly fond of this, and it takes their attention entirely from the plants which, in the meantime, can grow away from them. It was commonly believed formerly that rape cake killed the wireworms in some mysterious manner, but this is a complete delusion. If the ground be searched after such dressings of rape cake it will be found that the pieces are full of wireworms. Rape cake, however, should only be applied when other remedial measures have failed, and when it is necessary to attract the wireworms from the plants, for there is no doubt that the ultimate effect of rape cake is to greatly encourage the insects, as is the case in hop land.

When land is laid down with grass if there is any suspicion that wireworms are present it is most desirable to sow rape with the grass seeds to employ the wireworms until the young grasses have got away from them in some degree. In this case spring sowing is best. When newly sown grass plants are getting thin from the attacks of wireworms rape cake must he put on at once.

In meadow land beset with wireworms heavy and constant rollings are essential, with dressings of five or six cwts. of salt, or of from fourteen to twenty cwts. of gas lime, or fifty to seventy bushels of soot per acre. Liquid manure is also effectual in keeping them off, if plentifully used, and folding sheep.

The natural enemies of the wireworm are fortunately many. Rooks search for and devour them greedily. Their practised eyes note the "worm i' the bud," and they quickly detect the ailing plant and extract the cause of the evil. No doubt they pull up plants of corn in their search, but in all probability the plants they pull up would have died, and the wireworms are prevented from doing further mischief. It is believed that rooks do incalculable good; they should on no account be driven from page 31 corn or other cropped fields, except when the corn is sprouting and when it is ripening. Starlings do infinite good in meadow land. Plovers, peewits, gulls, and jays also eat wireworms with avidity. Moles love them dearly and should be carefully pre-served. All practical entomologists agree that moles render incalculable service to farmers by their wholesale destruction of the wireworms and many other larvæ which cause havoc among crops.