86-(56) THE BEAN WEEVIL, BBUCHUS FAB.E. 



way is to keep the seed-beans over one year, (/. e. till the 

 second season after they were gathered), in close vessels. 

 By that time all the weevils will have come ont of them 

 and perished in the vessels, and the beans may be safely 

 planted. I must, however, say that if beans are so tho- 

 oughly permeated by the insects, as the samples under 

 present examination, there is not enough germinating 

 power left in a bushel of them, to justify any attempt to 

 use them as seed. They should all be burned, and sound 

 seed obtained from distant districts not infested. 



Prof. Packard, in the article in the Naturalist above 

 cited, published in September, recommends immediate 

 immersion of the crop in hot boiling water at that sea- 

 son, apparently for the purpose of checking the ravages 

 of the insect in its earlier larval days. It would certain- 

 ly have the effect intended, but it seems to me that there 

 would be no marketable nor practical value to a crop of 

 beans scalded in September. 



Some who have tried late plantings in infested districts 

 report success. This harmonizes with facts above re|)ort- 

 ed, (as far as they go), as to beans affected in last year's 

 crop at Poughkeepsie, though it would require a much 

 more extensive experience and observation to establish 

 thoroughly any principle of this kind. 



I may suggest, however, that the plan of late planting 

 if adopted generally in an infested district, would be 

 very likely to fail to prove a remedy. For, if both ear- 

 ly and late plantings are freely made, the weevils will at- 

 tack the early ones, but if few or no early plantings are 

 made in their vicinity, and all the farmers resort to late 

 ones, the weevils are not so shortlived but that they may 

 conclude to possess their souls in patience, and await 

 calmly the growth of the late crops sown. They will 

 simple regard it as an uncommonly late season. 



I am not sure but that a very good expedient, where 

 beans are to be raised in an infested district, would be to 

 sow broadcast and somewhat thickly on some plot of 

 ground in the vicinity, some very early variety of beans 

 with no intention of gathering any crop from this sow- 

 ing ; then somewhat later the main crops can be sowed. 

 When the pods of the first sowing are sufficiently 

 advanced to have received the punctures of the weevils 

 roaming in the neighborhood, the crop may be plowed 



