1838. HOUSE—No. 72. 77 
preference for this more prolific and abundant foreigner. The female 
pea-bug deposits her eggs beneath the epidermis, or thin skin, which 
covers the pod of the pea, one egg, only, being left opposite to a 
single pea. This is effected during the night, or in cloudy weather, 
and the pods are attacked only when young, and when the pease 
are just beginning to swell. 
The larva or grub, as soon as hatched, perforates the pod and pea 
by a very fine hole, which is soon closed, and. is only to be discov- 
ered when the pea is fully grown by a small reddish spot on the pod, 
corresponding with a similar one on the pea. If this spot be carefully 
opened at this time a minute whitish grub or maggot, destitute of 
feet, will be found in the pea. The growth of the grub is rapid, 
and is completed by the time the pea becomes dry. It then bores a 
round hole in the pea, quite to the hull, which, however, is left un- 
touched, as is also the rostellum or future sprout. In this hole it 
becomes a pupa and subsequently a perfect insect, when it has only 
to gnaw through the thin hull before it makes its exit. 
It is a singular fact, and evinces the wisdom of Providence, that 
the germinating principle of pease is permitted to escape the insect 
destroyer, whereby abundant provision is made for a future supply of 
one of the finest of esculent vegetables. ‘This insect is also limited to 
a certain period for depositing its eggs; late sown pease therefore 
escape its attacks. According to observations made by the late Col. 
Pickering, pease sown as late as the 20th May, in lat. 41° 13’ N., 
were entirely free from bugs. Deane recommends to keep buggy 
pease over one year before sowing them. This method would an- 
swer if generally adopted, but the pease themselves should be so 
secured that the bugs could not escape. Probably keeping them in 
boxes with a quantity of camphor, would destroy the bugs without 
injuring the pease. Latreille suggests submitting the pease to the 
heat of water at 30° Reaumer, or 90° of Farenheit, by which pro- 
bably the same results might be obtained. A writer in the New Eng- 
land Farmer has adopted the following plan: —Immediately before be- 
ing planted, the pease are put into a tub; very hot water (he does not 
state specifically how hot,) is poured on them, they are constantly 
stirred in this for two minutes, and then cold water is added, in such 
quantity as to render the mixture blood warm, and to cover the pease 
