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and a great many are afraid to sow them on account of this bug. In a great many 

 cases the bug is dead, but in others it is not. What would you advise us to do? la 

 the bug a dangerous one ? Would it be better for no one to sow the pease for fear 

 of introducing the insect into the country. I send you by mail a sample of the 

 pease just as they are in the bag, aUo a sample of those destroj'-ed by the weevil. 

 This seed has been imported by one of our leading seedsmen, and it would be a benefit 

 to every one if the experiment could succeed. The owner supplies the seed and the 

 growers return it to him in the fall, and he gives them 75c., $1, or $1.25 a bushel for 

 the rest, according to the variety. They are to be hand-picked, and it is said it will 

 keep between forty or fifty women busy all the winter. So you see, if they do well 

 it will be a good thing all round, for the farmers, the village, the seed-dealer who 

 introduced the seed, and the United States owner of the seed. I would suggest your 

 writing a letter for the local paper regarding this pest. Possibly it may not live 

 in this climate, as a great many of them are dead. 1 found a few alive, which I sent 

 you, and one of my neighbours says he saw them as soon as they got to the heat 

 come right out and fly away." * 



In response to this suggestion I prepared the following letter, and sent it off to 

 the Eenfrew Mercury, and it was printed on 8th May last: — 



*' Weevilly Pease. 



" To the Editor, of the Renfrew Mercury : 



" Dear Sir, — I have received two letters from your district enclosing samples of 

 seed pease infested by the Pea Weevil, and asking if it would be safe to sow these for 

 eeed. 1 am also informed that a considerable quantity of similar seed has been sent 

 to your district to be grown for seed during the coming season. I write at once 

 to warn farmers that unless seed is treated before sowing, it will be a very danger- 

 ous experiment to introduce this insect into your district. Although it is possible 

 that the weevil may not survive your severe winters in Renfrew county, it must be 

 remembered that this is the worst enemy known of the pea crop, and if the weevils 

 are introduced into your fields with seed sown this spring, the crop grown this year 

 will almost certainly be badly attacked. 



"The following is a brief sketch of the life-historj- of this pest: The egg is laid 

 by the female beetle on the young green pod. As soon as the grub from this hatches, 

 it eats its way in through the pod into the nearest pea, where it remains until 

 full-grown, consuming the interior of the pea and passing through all its stages, 

 from a white fleshy grub to the chrysalis, and then to the perfect insect. Some of the 

 beetles escape from the pease in the autumn and pass the winter hidden away under 

 rubbish or about barns or sheds. The greater number, however, emerge from the 



f)ease the following spi'ing, and as soon as the pease are in flower fly to the fields and 

 ay their eggs on the forming pods. 



-~ " I have been asked if anything can be done to kill the weevils before the seed is 

 sown. Under the circumstances, I would advise the following remedy : Half fill a 

 barrel or large wash-tub with hot water, not actually boiling, but hotter that can be 

 boine by the bare hand. Pour the pease directly into the hot water, which will 

 instantly kill all the weevils that may have emerged from the pease. Then fill up 

 at once with cold water, which should be standing ready close at hand. The seed 

 should be left in soak, entirely covered with water, for 12 hours, when all the beetles 

 in the pease will be killed. If the seed is to be sown by hand this may be done at 

 once, after pouiing off the water, and its growth will be much hastened by the soaking ; 

 bufif it is to be drilled, it must be dried again or the drill set to allow the swollen 

 pease to pass through freely. To dry the seed after soaking, spread it out thinly 

 on a barn floor or on a large canvas or cloth out of doors, so that it dries up quickly.'' 



The publication of this letter very soon brought in other letters and several 

 samples of pease. From these latter I found that very nearly all the weevils were 

 dead, and upon enquiry from the seed-dealer and shipper I found that the whole 

 stock had been treated in the usual way with bi-sulphide of carbon before shipping. 



