18 



the grubs show no inclination whatever to avoid the germs. (Fig. 5). 

 Moreover, germination tests, carried out on several occasions with 

 injured seeds, have proved conclusively that but a small percentage of 

 them germinate, and a still smaller percentage develop into vigorous 

 plants. In 1897, we found that about three-tilths of the peas of the 

 Marrowfat variety, which had been injured, did not germinate, and 

 that with the Golden Vine variety only thirteen per cent of the peas 

 germinated. If a person were sowing weevily seed of the Golden 

 Vine variety, it would be necessary to sow 15 acres of peas in order 

 to get as many plants as would be produced from sowing two acres 

 with sound seed. 



The material has been stored within the seed by the plant for a 

 purpose, and that is, to serve as a food supply for the germinating 

 plantlet. Not until the plantlet has developed both a root system 

 and a leaf system can it prepare food for itself. Up to this period it 

 is entirely dependent on the food stored up in the seed ; and it is 

 plain that seeds which have a large portion of their food eaten by the 

 weevil will stand but a poor chance of producing good plants. 



Dates of Seeding. 



Peas were sown in our experimental plots on six different dates, 

 in the spring of each of six years previous to 1901. One week was 

 allowed between each two seedings. In the average of the six years, 

 the first seeding took place on April 18th, and the last seeding on 

 May 23rd. The average of grain per acre from the six different seed- 

 ings was as follows: — 1st seeding, 26.5 bus.; 2nd seeding, 30.1 bus,; 

 3rd seeding, 28.8 bus.; 4th seeding 25.5 bus.; 5ih seeding, 21.5 bus.; 

 6th seeding, 19.5 bus. The peas from the different seedings were ex- 

 amined, and it was found that as the season advanced, the percentage 

 of peas containing weevils decreased slightly. In order to get more 

 complete information on this subject, peas were distributed for co- 

 operate experiments throughout Ontario in 1899 and again in 1900, 

 and were sown on four different dates with two weeks between each 

 two seedings. The first seeding took place in the latter part of April 

 and the last seeding in the early part of June. The following are 

 the average results of the various tests made over Ontario for two 

 years: — 



Seeding. 



Ist Seeding. 

 2nd Seeding 

 3rd Seeding . 

 4th Seeding . 



It will be seen that the decrease in the yield of grain per acre is 

 more marked than the decrease in the percentage of weeviJly peas. 



