334 MISSOURI AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



of the fumes escaping. The door should also be looked after and ar- 

 ranged so that it may be closed without leaving any cracks. " The bisul- 

 phide of carbon is then to be placed in shallow basins, and these are to 

 be placed on top of the seed. The bisulphide of carbon may be thrown 

 on top of the corn, or rags may be saturated with it and these be placed 

 on top. 



It is absolutely important also that this bisulphide of carbon be 

 placed on top of the seed to be fumigated, because the fumes from this 

 bisulphide are much heavier than the air, and therefore settle. If the 

 bisulphide is allowed to evaporate on top of the corn, the fumes will 

 penetrate down all through it, but if the bisulphide be placed near the 

 floor it will evaporate, but the fumes will not rise and the bulk of the 

 corn will not be fumigated at all. 



The amount of bisulphide to be used depends upon the nature of 

 the room or bin holding the corn, and also upon the maturity of seed to 

 be fumigated. As a general rule, if the bin, granary or room be very 

 tight, as will be the case if matched boards are used, then two pounds 

 of bisulphide of carbon will properly fumigate every one hundred bushels 

 of corn. If the room or bin be not made of matched material, more 

 bisulphide of carbon should be used. If the room or bin be a compara- 

 tively large one for the amount of corn it contains, then one should use 

 two pounds of bisulphide of carbon for every five hundred cubic feet 

 of space, regardless of whether this space contains corn or not. 



As soon as the proper amount of bisulphide of carbon has been 

 placed on top of the corn or other grain or seed, the person should leave 

 the bin at once, close the door and keep it closed for three days. It may 

 then be opened and the fumes allowed to escape. It is well to thus 

 fumigate corn soon after it is husked and put in the granary, and if it 

 is badly infested it is a good plan to fumigate again in the spring. 



This fumigation will kill not only the insects that may be within 

 the room, but will also kill mice and rats confined in such places. 



There is one precaution in the use of bisulphide of carbon which 

 should not be overlooked. While bisulphide of carbon is perfectly harm- 

 less to handle, yet one should not use it near a lighted lantern or lighted 

 pipe, or near any trace of fire whatever ; neither should one enter the 

 room, granary or bin while the fumes of this bisulphide of carbon are 

 there with a lantern or a lighted pipe, because in so doing an explosion 

 would be sure to follow. Do not let this precaution, however, prevent 

 anyone from using this material, since it is one of the best substances 

 that we know of for killing insects that are confined within a closed place. 

 It is hardly necessary to caution a person about staying too long in a 



