GRAIN CONSERVATION 111 



Then there are the larvae of various moths, such as 

 Ephestia elutella, and a number of secondary pests 

 — mostlv small beetles — which do little or no 

 damage to sound grain, but feed upon the debris 

 resulting from the ravages of other species. 



The ignorance of those engaged in the grain trade 

 with regard to these insects is, perhaps, in the present 

 state of national education, not altogether surprising. 

 Few, if any, of those whom we have met seemed to 

 know that there is more than one kind of weevil, 

 or that a weevil differs from the other kinds of 

 beetles, or that the '' maggots " or larvae found in 

 the grain have anything to do with the moths which 

 are found flying about the granary. Indeed it was 

 seriously suggested to us in one warehouse which we 

 visited that the moth larvae, which were crawling 

 over the heaps of grain in countless thousands, might 

 be derived from mites ! The very small size of all 

 these insects has no doubt a good deal to do with 

 the fact that so little is known about them by those 

 who have the greatest opportunities for observing 

 them. A little knowledge of their habits and life- 

 histories — intensely interesting in itself — would, 

 however, be a valuable asset in the hands of those 

 whose duty it is to inspect and supervise warehouses 

 where vast quantities of provisions of all kinds may 

 be stored. We have found, for example, that there 

 is actually a widespread and strongly rooted pre- 

 judice in favour of moth larvae, or at least of the 



