No. L] Further Notes. 21 



for the weevil to develop in wheat after it reaches England ; and the same 

 would seem to hold good with rice. 



With regard to the question of how the weevil passes the hot weather 

 The weevil in the hot [q the North- West Provinces, where the ffodowns 



weather in the North- . •11,1100 



West Provinces. become excessively not and dry, the secretary to 



the Government of India, in the Revenue and Agricultural Department^ 

 has forwarded the following note by Mr. G. Cane, who writes from Delhi 

 on 16th July:— 



"A wheat weevil " sursi " (red) was found alive on a wall of a orodown early ia 

 June before any rain fell. Also a " goon " (black), which frequents gram and other 

 grain, was found similarl}'. Although most of these weevils die in the hot months, it 

 is evident a few survive. The godowns are now crowded with them. 



Mr. J. Blackwood writes ^ that he hears from one of the leading rice 



. ^ , importers in Demerara, that there thev attract ants 



A Demerara remedy. 1 • m 1 i i " i 



to the rice piles by sugar, and the ants destroy the 



weevils. (See the action of ants in Demerara in protecting sugarcane 



from Borer moth, p. 26.) 



Conclusions, 



In the above correspondence and experiments the points which 

 seem to be chiefly of importance are as follows :■ — 



I. — The confirmation of the theory that the weevil is a purely gra- 

 nary-pest, and that grain can therefore be preserred by iso- 

 lation, and other precautions against infection, after it leaves 

 the fields; the hard varieties, of wheat being easily protect- 

 ed, while in the case of the soft varieties, which offer less re- 

 sistance to attack, protection from infection^ though possible, 

 is a matter of very considerable diflScuity. 

 IT. — The observation of the wandering propensity of the weevil, 

 which makes perfect isolation very difficult to obtain in the 

 neighbourhood of infested localities. 

 III. — The confirmation of the supposition that rice is free from the 

 attack of weevil so long as it lies in the husk, which seems to 

 be an efficient protection. 

 IV. — The observation that the weevil does not develop to any con- 

 siderable extent in grain after it reaches England. 

 V, — The doubt which has been thrown upon the efficacy of any of 

 the substances, bisulphide of carbon, neem leaves, and sulphur 

 fumes, to preserve grain that lies in an infected store-house, 

 VI. — The observation that in the case of wheat the ear is a pro- 

 tection against weevils, while barley is as much subject to 

 attack when in the ear as when taken out of it. 



^ Letter dated Calcutta, 15tb January, 1889. 



