BRUCHUS SP. ? 27 



I have found by experiment with English beans, that in 

 four-and-twenty hours, or possibly rather more, the 

 moisture would soak into the infested bean so as to 

 destroy the beetle, which I found almost always dead, 

 with the case or cocoon above mentioned clinging round 

 it. I only used water, my object being merely to ascertain 

 whether moisture would pass in ; but in case of some of 

 the regular seed-steeps being used, I should not consider 

 they could fail of being of use. 



It has been found by English experiment in the course 

 of the present year that dressing seed with Calvert's 

 Carbolic-acid answered; this, of course, diluted to a 

 strength enough to kill the insects without damaging 

 the seed. For a good working recipe for this purpose 

 I am obliged to Mr. George Street, of Maulden, Ampt- 

 hill, Bedfordshire. He used a mixture of one pint of 

 M'Dougall's " Sewage Carbolic," 1 Ib. of blue vitriol and 

 six quarts of water to six bushels of beans. This dressing 

 was applied to the beans in the same way as that used 

 for seed-wheat. The beans came up well, made good 

 progress, and Mr. Street informed me, after waiting 

 some time to be able to tell with certainty, that the 

 result was thoroughly satisfactory. 



The method of poisoning the seed by fumigation, 

 which is used in Canada, where the Pea-weevil is so 

 exceedingly injurious that it requires to be carefully kept 

 in check, is very simple, and is stated to be of much use. 

 This is by placing bisulphide of carbon in a large vessel 

 with the infested seeds, which are thus brought under 

 the influence of the poisonous vapour, and the beetles 

 within are thus destroyed before they have the oppor- 

 tunity of flying away to commence new attack. 



When once attack has begun on the seed in the pod, 

 or rather on the pod, whilst it is still so young in the 

 centre of the bean-blossoms that the seed is hardly to 

 be seen within then it is too late to apply any remedy ; 

 therefore it is highly needful to kill the pest in the seeds 

 before they are sown, or so to manage that the beetles 

 may be kept away as far as can be from the crop. 



