536 INJURIOUS AND BENEFICIAL INSECTS. 
so abundant with us as in Europe, as our climate is much drier 
and hotter, snails needing a damp, rainy climate in order to 
flourish vigorously. 
INSECTS INJURING THE BEAN. 
The Bean-weevil.—In our article entitled “Injurious Insects 
New or Little Known,” published in the Report of the Board of 
Agriculture for 1870, we described and figured the bean-weevil, 
which was then regarded as an imported species, the European 
Bruchus granarius, and some account was given of its habits. 
Afterwards in a short note published in our First Annual Report 
(p. 22), we stated that it was not an importation, but a native 
species which for some years has been known to be injuring the 
bean in New York and the Middle States. It was mentioned 
under the unpublished or manuscript name of Bruchus varicornis 
(Leconte). The same year Mr. Riley described it in his report on 
the injurious insects of Missouri under the name of Bruchus fabe, 
` and states that it appeared about ten years ago (1862) in Rhode 
Island, according to Mr. F. G. Sanborn, and is now known to ap- 
pear in Illinois and Missouri. 
How extremely injurious this weevil has been, and still threat- 
ens to be, appears from both Mr. Riley’s and my reports. We 
are sorry to add that this winter it is said to be very abundant in 
seed-stores in Boston, and unless checked in its course, a compar- 
atively easy thing to do at this time, it will rapidly spread all 
over the state, and do incalculable injury to the bean crop. 
I am indebted to Mr. C. A. Putnam, of Salem, for numerous 
living specimens of this weevil, with the beans from which they 
were emerging, obtained by him at a seed-store in Boston in Feb- 
ruary. We have figured, in our report for 1870, the bean perfo- 
rated by the grubs. It is easy to tell by the little round dark spot 
on the outside of the bean, i. e., the thin covering over the hole in 
which the weevil lies, whether the weevil lies within. Now is the 
time to plunge all the beans in hot boiling water to kill the weevils 
— treating them just as gardeners have been accustomed to deal 
with the well-known pea-weevil. Such beans as are found to be 
affected should at once be burned. Again, as suggested by sn, 
Harris, in dealing with the pea-weevil, “if the peas are kept till 
they are a year old, the insects will leave them.” So that by 
keeping the seed for two years in tin boxes, or other dry situa- 
Ce ee On ee Pe GME RNS, F 
