] 8 Indian Insect Pests, [ YqI, I. 



Western Provinces, on the 2nd July 1888 ; these tins had been exposed to the air 

 throughout the rains, in different parts of No. 1, Sudder Street, where they were well 

 isolated. 



Mr. Boss reports on them in November as follows : — 



"Samples H and H2, mixed hard and soft white wheat, with further admixture 

 of gunga jelli (hard red), contains one or two weevils, but no real damage 

 done. 

 " Sample G, hard red wheat (gunga jelli), with small admixture of soft white 

 grains; one or two weevils visible. Have never known ^wre gunga jelli to 

 weevil." 



Mr. Ross remarks : — 



"The foregoing results agree with the experience of the trade, viz. hard wheats are 

 practically safe from the attacks of the weevil ; of the soft wheats samples A, B, B 2, 

 and N, rubbed out from the ear by hand and isolated since March last, have practically 

 escaped damage. Sample D, of similar quality, wheat is badly weevilled, with the ex- 

 ception of its hard grains, which have escaped. 



"If stored in ordinary godowns during the past season, specimens A, B, B2, J, N, 

 and possibly F, would have weevilled as badly as D. 



" Nothing would be gained by extending the time during which these samples were 

 exposed. If wheat escapes the weevil during the rains, it will sujffer but little after- 

 wards." 



EXPEEIMENT 8. 



Besides the samples above noticed, there were two half-maund tins of new wheat 

 (one being soft white and the other hard red), which were received in May from the 

 Director of Land Records and Agriculture, North-Western Provinces and Oudh. These 

 were exposed to the air, in the Office of the Revenue and Agricultural Department, 

 Calcutta, where they were thoroughly isolated from the time they were received until 

 20th December. 



Mr. Ross reports on them in December : — 



"Both are quite free from weevils, and the white wheat is 'superior quality soft 

 white wheat. The isolation seems to have been quite effective in these cases." 



Experiment 9. 



Some ears of very soft^bearded wheat, and some ears of barley were brought down 

 from Cawnpore in April, and exposed to the air in Calcutta in the Entomology room 

 (within easy reach of loose weevils) throughout the whole of the hot weather and rains. 

 On examining them in November, the grains of wheat in the ear were all untouched 

 by weevil, while the barley, which had been obtained at the same time and kept under 

 precisely similar conditions, was badly weevilled. 



The following extracts are taken from a letter, dated 29tli Aug-ust, 

 The weevil in pad- ^^^^ ^^^^ Agricultural OfHcer of Ranchi, which has 

 ^y- been forwarded by the Director of Land Records and 



Agriculture in Bengal— 



" The rice weevil is never met with in the open. However minute it might be, it 

 could not possibly escape detection if it was in the habit of frequenting rice fields while 

 laying its eggs. 



" So far as my inquiries go, the weevil is never found in paddy {i.e. unhuske drice) 

 however long it may have been kept in the granary. If the eggs were laid, as is sup. 



