BEAN AND PEA BEETLES 245 



are produced, it is evident that the chances of a strong 

 and healthy plant are much diminished by using maggot- 

 eaten seed. It follows, also, that if infested Beans or 

 Peas are sown the beetles will not be injured by being 

 buried, but will come up through the ground in due 

 time to infest the new crop. 



Prevention. Whether the Beans or Peas are in- 

 fested or otherwise they should be dressed with 

 paraffin oil before sowing. In a large practice the 

 writer has followed this plan for many years with com- 

 plete success. The Beans or Peas are simply placed in 

 a clean flower pot with the hole corked, paraffin oil 

 sprinkled on and the seed shaken up, holding the pot 

 by the rim with both hands and shaking up with a 

 turn-over movement so as to bring the bottom seed 

 to the top and vice versa and thus coating the seed all 

 over with the paraffin oil. The surplus oil may then 

 be run off by holding the hand over the seed and re- 

 versing the pot, either sowing at once or leaving over- 

 night. If the latter, it will be seen what good the 

 dressing has effected, if the beetles were in the seed 

 they will have come out and be dead, or if they had 

 escaped before the dressing the cavities will have been 

 soaked with the oil and the Bean or Pea substance 

 preserved against the attack of Snake Millipedes and 

 other pests that are almost sure, otherwise, to be 

 attracted by the exposed tissues and so, in con- 

 junction with decay, destroy the substance that would 

 be left intact, or, as remaining, go to nourish the young 

 plant. Besides, the seed is protected from the attacks 



