Slugs and Snails— Prevention and Remedies.

King Country Chronicle, Volume II, Issue 97, 28 August 1908, Page 4

Slugs and Snails — Prevention and Remedies.

Slugs and snails have always been a source of great annoyance to vegetable growers in New Zealand. Their natural enemies are, of course, birds. As prevention and remedies the British Board of Agriculture suggest the follow ing measures as tending to prevent and lessen the attack of these pests 1. Drainage, because dampness favours them. 2. Avoid long manure, or in fact any organic manure where slugs are abundant in the soil. Employ artificials for a time. 3. Dry dressings of some irritant to kill the pests: (a) scot and lime; (b) salt and lime ; (c) lime and caustic soda: or to act mechanically, (d) powdered coke. The lime must be in a very fine divided state and quite fresh. Two or three dressings must be given, the second time some fifteen to thirty minutes after the first. Lime and caustic soda is found to act best--four parts of caustic soda to ninetysix of lime well mixed. Dry dressings except powdered coke, should be applied very early in the morning. 4. Rings of slaked lime or fine ash soaked in paraffin may be put round choice plants. 5. In gardens and hop plantations heaps of bran mash or moist oatmeal may be placed here and there. These baits attract the slugs, which may then be easily collected. 6. Heavy applications of soot are best to keep off snails, which should be dealt with mainly by hand picking and by trapping with cabbage leaves. Rows of peas, etc., are best protected either by spreading barley sweepings or cinders and lime along the rows, or by heavy dressings of slaked lime.