182 EXPERIMENTAL FARMS 



2-3 EDWARD VII., A. 1903 



must be taken to close up the top tightly. This is best done with a cap made specially 

 for the purpose, but may also be done with fine sacks laid smoothly on the top, over 

 which boards are laid, with a, considerable weight on them to hold the covering down 

 closely. 



Fumigation with bi-sulphide of carbon, I believe, is the remedy most to be relied on 

 in this campaign. It is perfectly effective, is now regularly used by the large seed 

 merchants, and in future will be much more regularly used. The liquid is cheap, in large 

 quantities costing about 1-5 cents a pound, although small quantities are charged for at 

 a higher rate, owing to its inflammable nature and nauseous odour, which make it an 

 undesirable stock for druggists to keep on hand. The treatment is easy so that no 

 mistakes need be made, and, with ordinary care, accidents are not likely to occur. As 

 a matter of fact, I have never heard of an accident from the use of this chemical. 



Bins for fumigating with bi-sulphide of carbon should be rendered as nearly air 

 tight as possible. This may be done in the case of an ordinary bin by pasting sheets of 

 paper over the inside, and, in case these should be liable to be torn, over the outside as 

 well. Where the lid fits down it should be padded with felt. 



Holding over Seed. — "Where only a few seed peas are used, a most reliable remedy 

 is the holding over of seed until the second year. Peas should always be bagged up 

 and the sacks tied at once after threshing. The weevils are not able to eat their way 

 through the bags, even when these are made of paper. All the weevils which emerge 

 either in autumn or the following summer will perish inside the bags, and the seed can 

 be sown the following year without danger. The very rare instances which I have 

 heard of, but which I have never seen, where weevils remain alive in the peas and 

 emerge during the second summer after the peas ripened, must be of such rare and 

 exceptional occurrence that they need not be considered. However, to make assurance 

 doubly sure, the seed grain may be kept in a warm room or house during the first 

 winter when there is hardly a possibility of the beetles not emerging. 



Treating with Coal Oil. — A remedy which has been used by many farmers with 

 satisfaction, is to drench the seed with coal oil using about half a gallon to a barrel or 

 five bushels of peas. Half of this quantity however can be used successfully as I have 

 been informed by Mr. W. M. Real of Greenbank, Ont., who writes as follows : For 

 several years I used coal oil on part of my seed with good results. An ordinary bin or 

 a large box will do for, say 50 bushels or less ; for every 20 bushels pour over them one 

 gallon of coal oil, spreading it so that it does not run to waste. This should be done 

 about two weeks befoi^e sowing. Immediately after putting on the oil, the peas should 

 be shovelled over and over so that all will be oiled, and the shovelling must be repeated 

 every day for four or five days. This, if properly done, will kill all the bugs in the 

 peas without injuring the seed. This plan, however, is no good when you compare it 

 with the fumigation mentioned on p. 210 in the report you sent me which is so much 

 easier done. The remaining part of my seed has been fumigated, only I do not use 

 barrels because we have two bug-houses near here, and we can kill all the bugs in 400 

 bushels at once without emptying them out of the bags. This too is far safer than using 

 bi-sulphide around farm buildings.' 



Mr. Wm. Iloss, M.P., of Port Perry, who has taken much interest in this matter 

 of controlling the Pea Weevil tells me that he knows of many in hii district who use the 

 above coal oil method with great success. 



In my own experiments I found that peas treated with coal oil, if not planted 

 soon afterwards, were slow in germinating. This, however, only points out the advant- 

 age of oiling peas just before sowing, and this method has a special use as an emergency 

 remedy when, as is frequently the case seed peas are found after purchase to contain 

 living weevils. 



Scalding Seed. — Of the same nature, when peas are found at . the time of sowing 

 to contain weevils, is scalding the seed. This may be done by pouring them into 

 scalding water and then either pouring the water straight off them again or cooling off 

 immediately with cold water. 



