‘ 
ELIMINATION OF LARVE IN ‘‘ KHANS.”’ 55 
only 3 were dead. Five more, that were stupefied, slowly recovered. 
In the bag exposed 30 minutes all larvee near the surface were dead. 
Of 15 larve taken from figs at the center of the bag 13 were dead, or 
so badly injured that they did not revive, and the other 2 were sickly. 
The following table gives percentages of larve killed by the steam 
at center of bag: 
Temperature. | After scalding. 
ae Exposure) Number : = Pancant 
1 Silicate ieee a Bg killed. 
°C, | ep, |minutes.| larve. | piving. | Dead. 
115 239 10 18 15 3 17 
115 239 30 15 2 13 87 
When the bags of figs were taken from the steam closet they were 
badly soaked with water, those portions not dumped remaining wet 
for hours and the figs remaining very sticky and disagreeable. 
Samples of figs scalded by steam were sent, about October 20, to 
Washington. At the time of sending, those scalded for 10 minutes 
were almost dry, while those scalded for 30 minutes were still damp. 
Examined by the writer in Washington, two months later, the figs 
were nicely sugar-coated ; but it was noticed that all broken or injured 
figs, as well as many that were uninjured, were badly soured. 
The conclusion is drawn that it is practically impossible to suc- 
cessfully sterilize figs by steam while in bags. The presence of so 
many soured figs among those experimented upon seems to make the 
practical use of steam doubtful, however well this destroys the larve. 
Artificial drying of the figs following their scalding would probably 
prevent the souring. Steam has an advantage over hot air in de- 
stroying larve in that a very short time is required to apply it and 
to raise the temperature to the degree desired. In addition, steam 
has more penetrative power than hot air, and hence requires shorter 
exposure of the figs. 
SCALDING FIGS IN HOT WATER TO KILL LARVA, 
The most extensive experiments were made with hot water. One 
fig-packing establishment in Smyrna has in operation apparatus for 
the sterilization of figs by boiling water, and good results were ob- 
tained from experiments made there in killing the larve. (See PI. 
XVI, figs. 1, 2.) The required exposure is much shorter than for 
either steam or dry heat, and the subsequent drying easy. By this 
process a large percentage of the “ worms” in figs can be destroyed 
without the additional expense in manipulation of much over a 
shilling (25 cents) per hundredweight, and if done on a large scale 
