72 



will doubtless do more. In my official capacity I shall do my utmost 

 to bring- aoout what I believe is possible — the extermination of the pea 

 weevil in Canada — and I now make an earnest appeal to the members 

 of this association to cooperate with me in the same direction. If all 

 who sow peas in Canada and the United States will adopt any one of 

 the remedies and carry out the suggestions made below. 1 am confident 

 that a tremendous advance will be made in a single year, and that as 

 early as the second year extermination might be looked for. 



REMEDIES. 



Fumigation. — Fumigation with bisulphid of carbon is a sure rem- 

 edy. When properly done, either in specially constructed buildings 

 known as "bug houses" or in any tight bin. every weevil is surely 

 killed if the seed containing them is fumigated for forty-eight hours 

 with this chemical, using 1 pound by weight to every 100 bushels of 

 seed, or. in smaller quantities, 1 ounce to every 100 pounds of seed. 

 For the treatment of small quantities of seed, particularly by farmers. 

 I have found that an ordinary coal-oil barrel is very convenient. 

 This will hold about 5 bushels, or 30<> pounds, of seed, which may be 

 treated with 3 ounces of bisulphid of carbon. Care must be taken 

 to close up the top tightly. This is best done with a cap made spe- 

 cially for the purpose, but fine sacks laid smoothly on the top. over 

 which boards are placed with a weight on them to hold the covering- 

 down closely, will answer. Fumigation with bisulphid of carbon is, 

 I believe, the remedy most to be relied on in this campaign. It is 

 perfectly effective, is now regularly used by the large seed merchants, 

 and in future will be much more generally used. 



Holding ovt r seed. — Where only a few peas are used, a most reliable 

 remedy is the holding over of seed until the second year. Peas should 

 always be bagged up and the sacks tied at once after threshing. 



Treating with coal oil. — A remedy which has been used by many 

 farmers with satisfaction is to drench the seed with coal oil. using 

 about half a gallon to a barrel, or 5 bushels, of peas. While applying 

 the coal oil the seed should be placed on a floor where it can be shov- 

 eled over constantly to insure the treatment of all the grain. 



Scalding seed. — When peas are found at the time of sowing to con- 

 tain living weevils, these may be destroyed by simply pouring them 

 into a pot of scalding water. The water should be drained off at once 

 or the seed cooled by turning in cold water. 



RECOMMENDATIONS. 



1. Everyone, when purchasing seed peas, should refuse determinedly 

 to buy any without the assurance that they have been treated: and. 

 further, even after this, he should examine for himself and see that 



