REPORT OF THE ENTOMOLOGIST AND BOTANIST. 193 



Still, every year for some time past, there have been fewer pease owned and sowed by 

 the farmers themselves. The company pease, which are treated for the bug, have 

 replaced the others. This must necessarily have its effect for good. I have no doubt 

 that the pease had more bugs in them than was generally supposed, as the fancy pease 

 grown here are cut and marketed early, before the weevil has developed much or can be 

 detected, and the pease are generally treated for the bugs as soon as they are marketed." 



Late sowing is sometimes recommended as a preventive remedy, but is more or less 

 uncertain in its good effects according to the season, and has never become very popular, 

 although the method has always a few adherents in all districts visited, the idea, of 

 course, being to delay the development of the pease until after the season when the 

 weevils lay their eggs. The chief danger is that late sown pease are apt to be attacked 

 by the ordinary white mildew of the pea, which reduces considerably the crop. 



I quote from my annual report for 1890, a statement by Mr. J. H. Allan, of 

 Picton, Ont., one of the best informed authorities in the pea trade: — "Many of oui 

 farmers sow the late sorts of pease late in the season — say, the first part of June — with 

 good results. 1 have seen a field of Golden Vine pease sown early in May. The crop 

 was literally filled with bugs. The neighbour of this farmer planted his in June, and 

 his crop had none. I would say, plant as late as possible ; but this will not answer for 

 all kinds. The extra early varieties must be put in as early as possible to insure a 

 paying ctot^."— {Report of Ent. and Bot, C. E. F. Report, 1890, p. 173.) 



" Weston, York Co., Ont., March 8 : — The pea weevil, which eats out the centre 

 of the pease in the barn, around here destroys about one-quarter of the crop. Some 

 people sow late to escape the weevil, but they do not get half the crop as when they sow 

 early. To sum up, if you sow early, you get a good crop of pease and weevil. Sow late, 

 you get a poor crop of pease and few weevils. We sow about forty acres of pease on 

 our 250 acre farm." — [J. La F. Stonehouse.] 



Remedies. — Bisulphide of Carbon. — Where the crop is large, undoubtedly the wisest 

 course to adopt in districts where the pea weevil occurs, is to fumigate the pease with 

 bisulphide of carbon as a regular practice as soon as possible after harvesting. In this 

 way, any weevils contained in the pease will be destroyed in the grub state before they 

 have consumed much of the substance of the pease in which they are undergoing their 

 transformations. This may be done by placing the infested seed, according to the 

 quantity to be treated, in some suitable receptacle, as a tight barrel, box or bin, or, if 

 the quantity is large, in a specially prepared building. Mr. Allan describes his method, 

 which is practically that generally adopted, as follows : " Nearly every large grower has 

 a building for the purpose. If properly made, it works well. The whole building must 

 be very tight to be of any use. Some use tin, others cement and paint and paper lining, 

 with a double floor and tarred paper between. The pan we use to put the carbon bi- 

 sulphide in is about three feet across and only about four inches deep. The chemical is 

 thus exposed to more air than it would be in a deep dish, from which it could not 

 evaporate quickly enough to do good service. I put my pan up close to the ceiling 

 above the pease, because the vapour, being so much heavier than air, works down 

 through them. We fill the building with bags as close as possible up to where the pan 

 hangs, empty the bisulphide into the pan and get out as quickly as possible, close the 

 door up tightly and leave it for 48 hours. This must be done in warm weather, as the 

 liquid does not vaporize well when the temperature is lower than 10 degrees above zero." 

 (C. E. F. Report, 1890, lo«. cit.) 



Perhaps the most convenient receptacle for treating weevilly pease, for farmers, is 

 an ordinary 45 gallon coal oil barrel, into which 5 bushels of pease may be put at 

 a time ; the quantity of bisulphide of carbon which has been found necessary is one 

 ounce to every hundred pounds of seed ; therefore, for the above quantity tiiree ounces 

 should be poured into some flat pan placed on the top of the seed or sprinkled over the 

 surface, and the barrel eovered closely, first with a thick cloth or canvas which has 

 been damped in water, and then with boards. The barrel should be in an outside shed 

 and left closed for 48 hours. 



Bisulphide of carbon is a colourless liquid which volatilizes very eeadily at ordinary 

 temperatures ; the vapour, which is quite invisible bmt has a strong una pleasant 

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