WIRE-ROPES have come greatly into use of late years for winding purposes in mines slid on inclines, for the rigging of ships, and for numerous engineering contrivances; ids() for the construction of electric-telegraph cables. They are almost aiway "galvan ized," that is, coated with zinc. A hemp rope 6 inches in circumference, and weighing t lbs. per fathom; an iron-wire rope 2 inches in circumference, and weighing5 lbs. per fathom; and a steel-wire rope 1.1 inch circumference, and weighing 3 lbs. per fathom, arc all of equal strength—the breaking strain of each being 10 tons.
a name given by farmers and gardeners to the larva; of click beetles (q v.), which are long and hard, and often swarm in corn fields, gardens, and pastures, feeding on the roots of crops, and doing great mischief. The best known British species are elater or agriotes lineatus, E. or A. obseurus, and E. or A. sputator. The first of these, which is the largest, is in its perfect state about half an inch long, with brown head and thorax, clothed with cinereous down; the elytra tawny, striped with brown. The larva, when full grown, is fully half an inch long, very narrow, yellowish, hard, and shining, the jaws tipped with black. The second species named is in its perfect
state of an earthy-brown color. The third has a black head and thorax, with many dots, the elytra light brown, with dotted lines. It is only about a quarter of an inch in length. Wire-worms are very small when first hatched, and are said to live for years in the larva state. Moles, rooks, and pheasants are useful in destroying them. Clover crops are said to have the effect of increasing their numbers. Farmers and gardeners resort to various means in order to get rid of this pest, as hard rolling after a top-dressing of lime, and mixing spirits of tar, gas-lime, or rape-cake with the soil; but one of the most effectual is the strewing of slices of potatoes or turnips on the ground, tinder which they soon congregate, and great numbers are thus easily destroyed. The name wire-worm is often very vaguely used, so as to include not only the larva; of some moths, but even myriapods of the genus julus (q.v.) which somewhat resemble the true wire-worms in form, although iu reality very different, and probably not injurious to crops, as they are.