﻿PROCEEDINGS 
  OF 
  THE 
  FOURTH 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  MEETING 
  241 
  

  

  2. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  Castor 
  and 
  other 
  oils 
  : 
  — 
  It 
  is 
  believed 
  that 
  castor 
  oil, 
  

   if 
  rubbed 
  on 
  the 
  grain, 
  ensures 
  its 
  safety 
  from 
  insect 
  attack. 
  This 
  

   requires 
  confirmation, 
  as 
  it 
  is 
  also 
  stated 
  that 
  it 
  does 
  not 
  render 
  wheat 
  

   immune 
  to 
  insect 
  attack 
  (1, 
  5). 
  Moreover, 
  castor 
  oil 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  retard 
  

   germination 
  (5). 
  

  

  3. 
  The 
  use 
  of 
  Mercury 
  : 
  — 
  In 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  India 
  mercury 
  is 
  used 
  to 
  

   keep 
  grain 
  free 
  from 
  insect 
  attack. 
  A 
  few 
  drops 
  of 
  it 
  are 
  put 
  in 
  an 
  

   excavated 
  soap 
  nut, 
  or 
  in 
  any 
  other 
  receptacle, 
  and 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  grain. 
  

   Its 
  vapours 
  are 
  supposed 
  to 
  kill 
  all 
  the 
  stages 
  of 
  the 
  insects. 
  In 
  small 
  

   jars 
  it 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  prevent 
  increase 
  of 
  beetles, 
  but 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  large 
  bins 
  

   its 
  effect 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  marked 
  (12). 
  

  

  4. 
  Mixing 
  sand 
  with 
  grain 
  or 
  covering 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  grain 
  with 
  a 
  uniform 
  

   layer 
  of 
  sand 
  a 
  few 
  inches 
  thick. 
  Mixing 
  sand 
  witli 
  grain 
  is 
  generally 
  

   practised 
  in 
  some 
  parts 
  of 
  India 
  and 
  is 
  known 
  to 
  give 
  good 
  results 
  in 
  

   cases 
  where 
  grain 
  is 
  to 
  be 
  dealt 
  with 
  on 
  a 
  small 
  scale 
  (19). 
  Covering 
  

   the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  grain 
  with 
  a 
  layer 
  of 
  sand 
  may 
  be 
  effective 
  and 
  practicable 
  

   in 
  the 
  laboratory 
  in 
  bottles, 
  jars, 
  and 
  small 
  bins, 
  but 
  on 
  a 
  large 
  scale 
  

   its 
  practicability 
  seems 
  doubtful 
  and 
  its 
  efficacy 
  has 
  not 
  yet 
  been 
  tried. 
  

   At 
  any 
  rate 
  the 
  application 
  of 
  this 
  method 
  cannot 
  be 
  recommended 
  for 
  

   large 
  elevators. 
  In 
  the 
  first 
  place 
  the 
  amount 
  of 
  sand 
  required 
  for 
  

   an 
  elevator, 
  where 
  arrangements 
  for 
  storing 
  over 
  a 
  lakh 
  of 
  maunds 
  of 
  

   wheat 
  are 
  made, 
  will 
  be 
  very 
  great 
  and 
  will 
  increase 
  the 
  weight 
  of 
  the 
  

   contents 
  of 
  the 
  bins 
  so 
  much 
  as 
  to 
  necessitate 
  a 
  considerable 
  reduction 
  

   in 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  of 
  wheat 
  stored. 
  Secondly, 
  the 
  main 
  object 
  of 
  

   the 
  elevator 
  is 
  to 
  clean 
  the 
  wheat 
  before' 
  it 
  is 
  stored 
  and 
  pouring 
  in 
  

   sand 
  will 
  nullify 
  this 
  object 
  and 
  the 
  grain 
  wiU 
  have 
  to 
  be 
  recleaned 
  

   before 
  it 
  is 
  sold. 
  This 
  will 
  mean 
  extra 
  expense 
  and 
  inconvenience. 
  

   Moreover, 
  out 
  of 
  almost 
  6,000 
  maunds 
  stored 
  in 
  a 
  bin, 
  the 
  whole 
  quantity 
  

   cannot 
  be 
  disposed 
  of 
  at 
  once, 
  and 
  this 
  will 
  mean 
  establishing 
  a 
  layer 
  

   of 
  sand 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  every 
  time 
  the 
  grain 
  is 
  taken 
  out. 
  Again, 
  the 
  use 
  

   of 
  sand, 
  in 
  cases 
  where 
  the 
  grain 
  is 
  already 
  infected, 
  is 
  objectionable, 
  

   as 
  the 
  sand 
  gets 
  into 
  the 
  injured 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  grain, 
  and 
  the 
  flour 
  made 
  

   from 
  such 
  grain 
  is 
  not 
  eatable. 
  

  

  For 
  this 
  method 
  it 
  is 
  claimed 
  that 
  the 
  adults 
  and 
  such 
  larvae 
  as 
  are 
  

   capable 
  of 
  doing 
  so 
  leave 
  the 
  grain 
  and 
  crawl 
  out 
  of 
  sand 
  and 
  cannot 
  

   get 
  back. 
  No 
  fresh 
  attack 
  is 
  possible 
  because 
  sand 
  acts 
  as 
  a 
  barrier 
  

   to 
  insects 
  getting 
  into 
  the 
  store. 
  

  

  5. 
  Hermetical 
  sealing 
  of 
  grain 
  : 
  — 
  Dendy 
  (4) 
  has 
  performed 
  some 
  

   experiments 
  on 
  the 
  methods 
  of 
  air-tight 
  storage 
  for 
  preserving 
  grain 
  

   against 
  insect 
  attack. 
  The 
  results 
  of 
  his 
  experiments 
  on 
  a 
  laboratory 
  

   scale 
  are 
  very 
  hopeful, 
  but 
  so 
  far 
  this 
  method 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  tried 
  on 
  a 
  

   commercial 
  scale, 
  For 
  this 
  method 
  it 
  is 
  claimed 
  that 
  insects 
  already 
  

  

  