106 



temperature of 80 or 90 degrees of centigrade for a few hours were 

 found to injure the flavour of the tobacco, and therefore it has been 

 suggested that the most likely means of reducing damage would be to 

 keep the leaf during the process of manufacture, as much as possible 

 out of the way of old cheroots and refuse tobacco, and to pack the 

 cheroots in as air-tight a manner as possible, to prevent the beetles 

 getting into the boxes to lay their eggs. 



It however seems probable that a more certain way to prevent mis- 

 chief would be to clean out and thoroughly fumigate the warehouses 

 and manufactories periodically and thus destroy all insect life in these 

 buildings ; this could not, of course be done whilst the cigars were in 

 store as the fumigation would doubtless injure their flavour, as steaming 

 undoubtedly would. 



Arthur G. Butler, 

 25th May, 1898. 



REMEDIES AGAINST INSECTS IN GRAIN, 

 PEAS, &c.* 



An application has been received for information as to a remedy for 

 weevils infesting red peas, (Phaseolus nanus). The weevil was submitted 

 to Mr. Tyler Townsend, Curator at the Jamaica Institute, and was 

 determined as Bruchus tetricus. 



In the Kew Bulletin for July, 1890, there are two methods described 

 as being successfully employed in India in granaries for preventing the 

 ravages of a weevil. 



One of these methods is by the employment of carbon disulphide, the 

 other of naphthaline powder. 



As the former of these substances, however, is poisonous, inhalation 

 of the vapour finally producicg coma ; inflammable, its vapour igniting 

 at 301^ F. when mixed with air ; and explosive when mixed with an 

 amount of air containing three times its volume of oxygen ; — it is 

 scarcely so convenient for use as naphthaline powder. This latter sub- 

 stance is cheap, and a very small quantity placed at the bottom of the 

 bin or receptacle in which peas or corn is stored will keep out insects ; it 

 can be obtained from druggist! . 



The following i» the plan recommended for applying the powder, if 

 wtevils are found in the stored grain. 



" It is best to place the naphthaline powder at the bottom of the bin 

 or bulk of grain. To accomplish this, take a bamboo, about \\ inches 



* From Bulletin No. 47, September, lo93. 



