No. 144. 1 327 



journals of our country at different periods of the present season, 

 east, west, north, south, every quarter we find has sustained 

 more or less injury. The south and west, perhaps, considerably 

 the greatest, as the enemy from the higher temperature and 

 larger surface of these quarters are more numerous. Several 

 destructive kinds prey upon our friends of the south and west, 

 which annoy us but little, comparatively. Among these are the 

 curculio grenurius, as the great naturalist, Linnceus, scientifically 

 calls it. The English of which is grain weevil. It belongs to 

 the beetle tribe, which contains a great many species, and some 

 of them very numerous. The curculio is one, which competes in 

 numbers as well as destructiveness with any of them. The num- 

 ber of the curculionidse may be imagined when it is stated that 

 entomologists have found ' it necessary to distribute them into 

 nearly three hundred subgeneras. 



It is only intended here to notice insect enemies of the grains 

 or bread stuffs, and our limits will necessarily confine us to a scanty 

 and very imperfect examination of these. This arises in a great 

 measure from the mighty character of the subject. Dr. Harris, 

 an American, and who has written more largely than any other 

 entomologist of our country, puts these last named insects under 

 the genus Coleoptera. Small as it is, both in the beetle and grub 

 state, it devours wheat in the field and other grains, and commits 

 much havoc in barns, granaries and brewhouses; Indian corn 

 and rice suffer much by it. Dr. Harris says, '• I am not aware that 

 these weevils attack wheat in New England; but I have seen stored 

 southern corn, swarming with them, and should they multiply 

 and extend in this section of the country, they will become a 

 source of serious injury to one of the most valuable of our staple 

 productions." These insects are effectually destroyed by kiln 

 drying the wheat and grain, and keeping it cool, w'ell ventilated 

 and frequently stirred or moved, and many may be destroyed by 

 winnowing the chaff and the use of alkaline solutions of various 

 substances in certain states of the grain. This insect or some of 

 them is so small, as to hatch in the kernel from the egg deposited 

 there, and live on the flour or inner substance until they are ready 

 to leave it, and there is nothing but the hull left, the grain shews 



