﻿716 
  EEPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  GEOLOGICAL 
  SURVEY. 
  

  

  by 
  the 
  ignorant, 
  the 
  present; 
  insect 
  and 
  the 
  rice-weevil 
  are 
  the 
  only 
  ones 
  

   found 
  injuring 
  wheat, 
  and 
  then 
  only 
  when" 
  stored. 
  I 
  copy 
  the 
  following 
  

   account 
  of 
  this 
  common 
  weevil 
  from 
  Harris, 
  knowing 
  nothing 
  person- 
  

   ally 
  of 
  the 
  insect 
  : 
  " 
  This 
  little 
  insect, 
  both 
  in 
  the 
  beetle 
  and 
  grub 
  states, 
  

   devours 
  stored 
  wteat 
  and 
  other 
  grains, 
  and 
  often 
  commits 
  much 
  havoc 
  

   in 
  granaries 
  and 
  brew-houses. 
  Its 
  powers 
  of 
  multiplication 
  are 
  very 
  

   great, 
  for 
  it 
  is 
  stated 
  that 
  a 
  siugle 
  pair 
  of 
  these 
  destroyers 
  may 
  produce 
  

   above 
  six 
  thousand 
  descendants 
  in 
  one 
  year. 
  The 
  female 
  deposits 
  her 
  

   eggs 
  upon 
  the 
  wheat 
  after 
  it 
  is 
  housed, 
  and 
  the 
  young 
  grubs 
  hatched 
  

   therefrom 
  immediately 
  burrow 
  in 
  the 
  wheat, 
  each 
  individual 
  occupying 
  

   alone 
  a 
  single 
  grain, 
  the 
  substance 
  of 
  which 
  it 
  devours, 
  so 
  as 
  often 
  to 
  

   leave 
  nothing 
  but 
  the 
  hull 
  ; 
  and 
  this 
  destruction 
  goes 
  on 
  within 
  while 
  

   no 
  external 
  appearance 
  leads 
  to 
  its 
  discovery, 
  and 
  the 
  loss 
  of 
  weight 
  is 
  

   the 
  only 
  evidence 
  of 
  the 
  mischief 
  that 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  to 
  the 
  grain. 
  In 
  

   due 
  time 
  the 
  grubs 
  undergo 
  their 
  transformations, 
  and 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  the 
  

   hulls, 
  in 
  the 
  beetle 
  state, 
  to 
  lay 
  their 
  eggs 
  for 
  another 
  brood. 
  

  

  Grub 
  and 
  beetle. 
  — 
  The 
  grub 
  is 
  short, 
  thick, 
  fleshy, 
  maggot-like 
  ; 
  while 
  the 
  weevil 
  is 
  

   " 
  a 
  slender 
  beetle 
  of 
  a 
  pitchy-red 
  color, 
  about 
  one-eighth 
  of 
  an 
  inch 
  long, 
  with 
  a 
  slender 
  

   snout 
  slightly 
  bent 
  downward 
  ; 
  a 
  coarsisly-punctured 
  and 
  very 
  long 
  thorax, 
  constituting 
  

   almost 
  one-half 
  the 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  body, 
  and 
  wing-covers 
  that 
  are 
  furrowed 
  and 
  

   do 
  not 
  entirely 
  cover 
  the 
  tip 
  of 
  the 
  abdomen." 
  

  

  Remedies. 
  — 
  These 
  insects 
  are 
  effectually 
  destroyed 
  by 
  kiln-drying 
  the 
  

   wheat; 
  and 
  grain 
  that 
  is 
  kept 
  cool, 
  well 
  ventilated, 
  and 
  is 
  frequently 
  

   moved, 
  is 
  said 
  to 
  be 
  exempt 
  from 
  attack-: 
  — 
  (Harris.) 
  

  

  Therice- 
  weevil, 
  /Sifqp/wZMSor^/s'fe 
  Linn. 
  (PlateLXV,Fig.lOa, 
  1),c), 
  attacks 
  

   stored 
  rice, 
  and 
  also 
  grain 
  and 
  corn. 
  It 
  differs 
  from 
  the 
  S. 
  (jranarius 
  in 
  

   having 
  two 
  large 
  red 
  spots 
  on 
  each 
  wing-cover, 
  and 
  in 
  being 
  a 
  little 
  

   smaller, 
  as 
  it 
  measures 
  only 
  a 
  line 
  in 
  length, 
  exclusive 
  of 
  the 
  snout. 
  It 
  

   is 
  abundant 
  in 
  the 
  Southern 
  States, 
  where 
  it 
  is 
  called 
  the 
  " 
  black 
  weevil." 
  

   In 
  the 
  South 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  according 
  to 
  Harris, 
  to 
  lay 
  its 
  eggs 
  on 
  the 
  rice 
  in 
  

   the 
  fields 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  statement 
  needs 
  confirmation. 
  " 
  The 
  parent 
  beetle 
  

   bores 
  a 
  hole 
  into 
  the 
  grain, 
  and 
  drops 
  therein 
  a 
  single 
  egg, 
  going 
  from 
  

   one 
  grain 
  to 
  another 
  till 
  all 
  her 
  eggs 
  are 
  laid 
  ; 
  she 
  then 
  dies, 
  leaving, 
  

   however, 
  the 
  rice 
  well 
  seeded 
  for 
  a 
  future 
  harvest 
  of 
  weevil-grubs. 
  In 
  

   due 
  time 
  the 
  eggs 
  are 
  hatched, 
  the 
  grubs 
  live 
  securely 
  and 
  unseen 
  in 
  

   the 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  rice, 
  devouring 
  a 
  considerable 
  portion 
  of 
  its 
  substance, 
  

   and 
  when 
  fully 
  grown 
  they 
  gnaw 
  a 
  little 
  hole 
  through 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  

   grain, 
  artfully 
  stopping 
  it 
  up 
  again 
  with 
  particles 
  of 
  rice-flour, 
  and 
  then 
  

   change 
  to 
  pupse. 
  This 
  usually 
  occurs 
  during 
  the 
  winter 
  ; 
  and 
  in 
  the 
  

   following 
  spring 
  the 
  insects 
  are 
  transformed 
  to 
  beetles, 
  and 
  come 
  out 
  of 
  

   the 
  grain. 
  By 
  winnowing 
  and 
  sifting 
  the 
  rice 
  the 
  beetles 
  can 
  be 
  sepa- 
  ' 
  

   rated, 
  and 
  then 
  should 
  be 
  gathered 
  immediately 
  and 
  destroyed." 
  (Harris.) 
  ' 
  

   Besides 
  these 
  insects 
  of 
  the 
  granary 
  Dr. 
  Fitch 
  describes 
  the 
  Agromyza 
  

   tritici, 
  which 
  sometimes 
  occurs 
  in 
  great 
  numbers 
  in 
  stored 
  wheat 
  in 
  New 
  

   York. 
  

  

  The 
  Grain 
  Sylvanus, 
  Silvanus 
  surinamansis 
  (Liun.)- 
  — 
  A 
  small 
  brown 
  beetle 
  gnawing 
  

   the 
  ends 
  of 
  rye, 
  oat, 
  and 
  wheat 
  grains. 
  

  

  This 
  is 
  a 
  very 
  common 
  and 
  annoying 
  little 
  beetle, 
  which 
  in 
  Europe 
  is 
  

   known 
  to 
  be 
  a 
  great 
  pest 
  in 
  stores 
  and 
  warehouses. 
  In 
  Pennsylvania, 
  

   it 
  has 
  been 
  found 
  to 
  injure 
  stored 
  rye, 
  wheat, 
  and 
  oats, 
  eating 
  holes 
  in 
  

   the 
  grain. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  little 
  Hat, 
  brown 
  beetle, 
  not 
  quite 
  a 
  line 
  in 
  length, 
  

   characterized 
  chiefly 
  by 
  the 
  last 
  three 
  joints 
  of 
  the 
  antennae 
  being 
  ' 
  

   enlarged, 
  and 
  by 
  having 
  three 
  ])rominent 
  longitudinal 
  ridges 
  on 
  the 
  

   thorax, 
  which 
  is 
  armed 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  with 
  six 
  teeth. 
  

  

  Remedies. 
  — 
  " 
  The 
  best 
  way 
  to 
  get 
  rid 
  of 
  it, 
  when 
  the 
  grain 
  cannot 
  be 
  

  

  