1900] BEAN AND PEA-SEED BEETLES. 31 



knife will show liim exactly what their state is. Autumn-sown Beans 

 are much more likely to contain infestation than the spring- sown, as 

 many of the beetles will still be within. And it should be borne in 

 mind that, even if the infested Beans do germinate and grow properly, 

 still it is highly undesirable to lay the foundation of a new brood of 

 beetles by, as it were, sowing the parents in the Bean seed. 



In the year 1888 Mr. E. A. Fitch reported to me, from Maldon, 

 Essex, regarding direct loss of weight, and consequently of money re- 

 turn, in the case of Beans infested by our common Bean-seed Beetle: — 



" In my own case a most moderate computation of loss of weight 

 alone of 2s. per quarter, would give d665 12s., i.e. 164 acres x 4 quarters 

 the acre X 2s. per quarter. ... I have myself delivered Winter 

 Beans in other years weighing 19 stone 4 lb. (67|lb. per bushel) ; and 

 I hear from the corn merchants that nothing over 18 stone can be ex- 

 pected this year ; a year in which condition, and consequently weight, 

 is exceptionally heavy, the loss being entirely due to the ravages of the 

 Bn<c/ms."— (E. A. F.) 



A safe and easily practicable method of dressing infested Beans so 

 as to kill the contained infestation is tliat (recommended by Mr. Geo. 

 Street, of Maulden, Ampthill, in 1888) of application of blue vitriol 

 and McDougall's Sewage Carbolic. On May 10th in tliat year Mr. 

 Street wrote me (witli regard to whether tiie Beans would be injured 

 thereby) that they had made wonderful progress, and the result, so 

 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 a 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." 



Another correspondent in the same year mentioned that he had 

 " dressed all the seed with Calvert's Sewage Carbolic Acid, of such 

 strength as to kill all the insects in the Beans without damaging the 

 seed." — (See ' Twelfth Keport on Injurious Insects,' by Editor, p. 23.) 



Besides the above remedial methods — which are very easy of 

 application — references to various other methods of treatment — as 

 simply soaking in water, fumigating with bisulphide of carbon, &c. — 

 will be found in my Annual Keport for 1895, which it is not necessary 

 to repeat again here. 



