108 PEAS. 



Amongst other localities, severe injury was especially reported from 

 the Pea-growing districts near Severn Stoke, in Worcestershire, and 

 Alcester, on the edge of Worcestershire and Warwickshire, and in the 

 latter case Beans were mentioned as being also attacked. The 

 following are some of the details received. 



The first notes sent commenced with information sent me on April 

 7th, by Mr. Edw. A. Cabberley, of Moor Hall, Alcester, Eedditch, as 

 follows : — " My Peas are much injured by beetles, specimens of which 

 I send you. There has been no rain here for weeks, and the land is 

 very dry, I rolled and harrowed the Peas a few days since, which I 

 think has checked the mischief slightly, but the ground seems to be 

 teeming with the insects. I intend rolling the field down firmly 

 to-morrow. I may add that the attack appears to be general in this 

 district, Beans suffering as well as Peas." 



On the 8th of April the following account was sent me, also from 

 the pame neighbourhood, and also with specimens of the Sitones, or 

 Pea Weevils, accompanying. In this instance most of them appeared 

 to be of the species known, from the " stripes," or "lines," running 

 along the wing-cases, as the " Striped Pea Weevil," scientifically as 

 the S. lineatus. 



Mr. John M. Moubray wrote from Broom Court, Alcester, on April 

 8th : — " I have five acres of Eclipse Peas, and they are being destroyed 

 by an insect, and I send you some by same post. Could you kindly 

 let me know how I can get rid of this pest ? In a short time the Peas 

 will be quite destroyed by them. I thought of rolling, but the Peas 

 are very tender and would break." 



In the following letter, written on April 14tli, it will be seen that 

 Mr. Moubray notices, besides the attack he observed on these Peas, 

 that he knows of it on six other farms near : — " I note that the weevils 

 are on the Peas, and in the ground close to them, but I cannot 

 discover any in my other fields. I know six other farmers in tlie 

 immediate neighbourhood whose Peas are attacked in the same way, 

 and some of them have already ploughed up the crop." 



On the 19th of April, Mr. H. E. Thornley, writing from Eadford 

 Hall, near Leamington (about 16^ miles E.N.E. of Alcester), reported 

 the destruction going forward. In this case the specimens sent 

 appeared more to resemble the Spotted Pea Weevil, the S. crinitus, 

 which -is rather smaller than the " Striped" kind, and has the wing- 

 cases spotted with black. Mr. Thornley wrote : — " I am a grower of 

 large quantities of Peas; at this season they are being entirely spoilt 

 by these beetles, so much so that I have decided to plough one field 

 up." 



From Croome Court, Severn Stoke, Worcestershire, I was favoured 

 with the following note on April 21t.t. (This locaUty lies about 7 



