‘ 
ELIMINATION OF LARV& IN ‘‘ KHANS.’’ 53 
furnished with glass and are often so large that it is impossible to 
make them air-tight; (2) the supply of figs in a “khan” does not 
remain, but passes through in a very short time, usually a day or two, 
which would necessitate fumigating several times a week. This 
would be too expensive a process, as well as impracticable, because it 
would endanger the occupancy of the building the following day. 
The proportion of air space in a “khan” to the amount of figs to be 
treated Would make fumigation totally impracticable (Pls. XII, fig. 
2, and XITI, fig. 1), and the packers are emphatically opposed to sub- 
jecting their wares to the action of such deadly fumes as those of 
hydrocyanic acid. 
66 
EXPERIMENTS IN THE “ KHANS.” 
The simplest possible treatment for the destruction of foreign 
life in any article of food, viz, subjection to heat, suggests itself as 
more economical and easier to apply than any other method. Ex- 
periments were made using three distinct methods of application, 
i. e., by steam, hot water, and hot air. The results obtained by using 
any of these do not vary greatly, though the details of the applica- 
tion, the required temperatures and lengths of exposure, and the 
drying where water is used, necessarily differ much. Experiments 
were also made using a vacuum treatment. 
In conducting experiments for the eradication of fig-moth larvee 
by various methods the writer was extended many courtesies by 
packers of figs in Smyrna, some of whom had been using the same 
methods with practical results for some time, and had apparatus in 
their establishments for the purpose. In one case an expensive steril- 
izing outfit was installed for the special purpose of making ex- 
periments to determine the practicability of subjecting figs to special 
treatment to kill the “worms.” Among Smyrna fig packers, who 
seemed particularly interested in this phase of the fig industry and 
to whom the writer is indebted for material assistance in perform- 
ing the experiments, may be mentioned Mr, John Manola, Mr. Aram 
Hamparzum, and the manager of his “ khan,” Mr. Vedova; Messrs. 
A. Reggio and sons, and Mr. §. A. Stassinopulo. 
DESTRUCTION OF LARV4t BY VACUUM TREATMENT. 
Attempts were made to free the figs of “ worms” by subjection to 
vacuum, but with little success. An experiment was performed on 
September 26, in a “ khan” in Smyrna, to determine whether vacuum 
treatment could be successfully applied to layer figs in boxes to kill 
the larve present. A number of larve, found crawling up the wall 
above a pile of refuse figs, was inclosed in a fig jar, and put into a 
