The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-03-26
The Wire Worm.

On moist, loamy soils of mucky charac-
.er the rayages of the wire worm are SOME
times extensive and desolaiing. An ola lar
ner estimates his losses from tins cause,
when he first began farming, to be greater
than the whole expenses OF carrying on MS
farm and supporting his family; but after
becoming acquainted with their habits, ana
experimenting in their destruction tor many
wears, he now has nearly rid lis land Of the
pest On sandy and crayelly loans, with
but little vegetable matter, thy seldom be-
come very troublesome, yet we generally
find some in such soils on blowing 1t after
living long in gra-s. On newly cultivated
ground they are always more plentiful. than .
en- old land, probably from not being DIS
turbed during the long period required FOR
passing to the winged or per!ec. state.
The Agricultural Survey" of Seneca
county, given in the y. !. Ag. Transactions
for 1850, contains figures ana description
of this insect, fer popular uSe-the only one
we remember to have met with. X. De a.
field says:
1.-The bug parent is familiarity known as
the Swapping bug, go called from the noise
made by throwing itself into the air, when
from any cause it is turned on its back-the
action restoring the insect 10 its proper posi-
ton. The worm is about one inch long,
having SIX Iett, II Is SicltGcT, tOuIu, eh'a
hard; it is said the wern continues five
years be(are its ,ransmutation 20 the perfect
insect state, during which time It feeds on
the roots Of wheat, barley, oats, corn, and
grass"
The remedy suggested is fall pawing,
whereby their winter arrangements are dis
turbed, and their lives finished by the ez-
IRENE c ID. i repetition of this Goa Sc for
f-w years VII lessen their numbers mate
rally.
Ii has been said lhat salt would destroy
the wire worm, and the sam assertion las
been made in regard to line. Experiment
shows that these applications have 10 effect
upon the worm whatever. SOME years
since, a farmer told Us that he had destroyed
thousands Of the bug. which produce them
bv placin, straw in rows = rod apart Oh his
wheat fallow, and then, u hen the insect. had
collected beneath it, burning The same But
fall pIowin and frequent culture may be re
lied upsn. and I: the same time furnish t.e
best preparations for the growth of crops
To lit sward land whisE, was infested with
wire WORRIES for corn. We. should manure ana
then pl.w Immediately before planting. ~
this means the worms would se buried out
ef the way, and supplied with plenty OF food
in the roots of the grass, 50 that tEey cou.u
not iniure the corn to any extent; such la
been the experience Of many farmers. Fey
any crop suited t. gr.en swa'd, the same
would be a good course; but beyond corn
and potatoes there are few crops Win h sue
coed well and hence most wound DO better Il
the sward w,r, P,owed late IN the fail
Land planted to corn as abavs, should nva-
r.ably be p!owed in autumn Tor the next
crop, or the product would be lil,y 10 be
destroyed or largely aiured bE this pest
An ell, ctual method to rid the land Z!
wire worm, i to p'ow very late in the fall,
anG work thoroughly the next season unit.
time to SOW buckwheat, which If sowed the
next year alSo,-fo.'owing the same plan Of
fall piowing aud cujtufc-wi!I totally eradi-
cate them, giving at the same time two valu-
able crops Tuis graf seems quite offensive
TO the wire worm, and growing close ana
thick, it leaves nothing for them to feed up
on. and thus s:arveS them out. Other plans
may I've IS profitable. but We leave them 70
be suggested by our attentive csrres92rd-
country Gsli.