BEAN BEETLE. 7 



through which they escaped will show where they have been, 

 and such seed is to be avoided. The injured seed will sprout 

 in most cases, but although the growing germ is left, a great 

 part of what this germ needs to make it grow healthily is 

 gone. If we consider that, in germination, chemical changes 

 take place by which the insoluble starch in these seeds is 

 turned into soluble plant-food, and that on this alone the 

 young sprouting plant is nourished until the leaves and 

 rootlets are produced, it will be evident that our chances of a 

 strong and healthy plant are much diminished by using 

 maggot-eaten seed. The young plant depends on the quantity 

 of food in the seed for the vigour of its first start, and if this 

 first start is not vigorous the later growth will probably be 

 stunted and sickly also ; therefore seed with a large proportion 

 of " holed " beans is not desirable for sowing. 



Where, instead of a round hole about as large as a shot- 

 hole, there is a round depression, as mentioned above, rather 

 duller in colour, and rather more transparent than the part 

 around, this shows that the Bean is still infested ; and if the 

 small round piece of skin is lifted off, the beetle will probably 

 be found within. Such seed should not be sown. If Beans 

 or Peas thus infested are sown (without some dressing being 

 applied or measures taken to kill the insects within), the 

 beetles will not be injured by being buried, but will come up 

 through the ground in due time to infest the new crop. 



The following note of successful use of blue vitriol, together 

 with McDougall's sewage carbolic and amount applied, was 

 placed in my hands by Mr. Geo. Street, of Maulden, near 

 Ampthill. On 10th of May, 1888, Mr. Street wrote me that 

 the dressed Beans had made excellent progress, and the result 

 as far as he could see was perfectly satisfactory. " The 

 dressing applied to the Beans was used in a similar way to 

 that used for seed-wheat. Formerly we used ' blue vitriol ' 

 only, but the addition of McDougall's sewage carbolic leaves 

 a smell, which to some extent prevents birds eating the seed- 

 corn. I am inclined to think the carbolic alone would be 

 sufficient, if a larger quantity was used. We used 6 bushels 

 of Beans, 6 quarts of water, 1 lb. of ' blue vitriol,' and 1 pint 

 of sewage carbolic. I am inclined to think that Beans should 

 be dressed some few days before they are sown, (as the skin is 

 thick), and turned over with a shovel every day. Those which 

 escaped the liquid dressing might be killed by the strong dust 

 which would be formed when the Beans were again dry." 



Good results have been found from the use of Calvert's 

 carbolic acid, at a strength which killed all the insects in the 

 Beans without hurting the seed. 



In my own experiments on infested Beans, I found that if 



