Nov. 1, 1897.] 
Supplement to the ‘‘ Tropical AgyHculturist." 
367 
The vapour is very inflammable and highly poi- 
sonous to animal life. 
To ensure success the grain to be treated should 
be in a bin with tight sides and bottom, but the 
treatment of gi’aia even in open cribs is reported 
to be successful by the Mississippi Agricultural 
Experiment Station, where experiments in the use 
of this insecticide were conducted for many years. 
The chemical is placed in shallow dishes or on 
pieces of cotton waste or other absorbent material 
on the surface of the grain, or is even sprinkled 
directly on the surface of the grain. If there is 
a depth of more than five feet of grain in the bin, 
it is well to put part of the charge well into the 
mass either by pouring it in through a tube or by 
burying material soaked in it. After distributing 
the charge, the bin is usually covered with blankets 
or other heavy cloths to shut off the air ; the fumes, 
however, being so much heavier than air, cannot 
escape upwards to any great extent. The liquid 
soon evaporates, and the fumes, descending, pene 
trate to all portions of the mass of grain, carrying 
deatli to all insect and other animal life. 
If the bin is tight, the charge need not be over 
one pound of the bisulphide to each forty bushels 
of grain; one pound to each hundred bushels is 
said to be used with success at the experiment 
station alluded to above. It is customary to 
leave the grain exposed to the fumes for at least 
twenty-four hours. A longer exposure does not 
injure the grain for milling purposes, but an e.x- 
posure of more than two days affect its germin -ting 
powers. After opening the bin, the fumes gradu- 
ally pass of:, although if the bin is very tight it 
may be necessary to stir the grain or even throw 
it out of the bin. 
If the grain is in open bins and much affected 
by weevils, it may be desirable to repeat the treat- 
ment in si.x or eight weeks, particularly if the 
conditions of temperature are favourable for the 
rapid propagation of the insects ; under favouring 
conditions of heat the common grain weevil ( Calan- 
dra granaria, Linn.) passes through a generation 
during this peiiod. It is also sometimes desirable 
to have the room in which the grain is stored or 
even the whole building fumigated, in which case 
the space should be made as tight ns possible and 
not less than one pound of bisulphide evaporated 
for each one thousand cubic feet. Many mill 
owners in America periodically fuudgate their en- 
tire buildings. The bisulphide is distributed about 
in shallow vessels, or on absorbent material as is 
done when grain in the bin is treated. Because of 
the disagreeable and poisonous nature of the fumes 
and their tendency to sink to the lowest level, it 
is customary, when there is more than one floor, to 
begin the distribution on the ground-floor and to 
work upwards, making the exit from the top 
floor. 
While carbon bisulphide is poisonous to all kinds 
of animal life ifitihaled in quantities, the amount 
bre, allied by a man in handling and distributing it 
i.s insufficient to do him any harm. The only real 
danger from the sub.stance is its injlam/mahility , 
and care mu^t be taken to prevent anyone ap- 
proaching where it is being used with a flame of 
any .sort ; even a lighted pipe or cigar is dangerous. 
If this precaution is observed, there is no cause for 
anxiety. 
Cape Town chemists sell carbon bisulphide at 2s. 
per pound in small quantities and generally at a 
slight reduction from this price when ten pounds 
or more are taken. The demand for it is small and 
no dealer carries very much in .stock. It is not 
unlikely that if one is likely to require much, it 
would pay to import a (puintity direct from 
E'tgland or the United Stale.s on his own account. 
Edward R. Taylor, Manufacturing Chemist, Cleve- 
land, Ohio, U.S.A., makes a specialty of carbon 
bisuljihide for fumigation purposes, and for .several 
years has been supplying a very satisfactory grade 
which he calls “ Fuma Bisulfide”; thi.s he sells at 10 
cents (about od.) per pound in fifty iiouud drums. 
From New York, the carriage on goods to South 
African ports is said to be even less than from 
London, so it might prove a good investment to 
some gr.iin dealers to mike a trial of importing a 
few fifty pound drums from him. 
THE VITALITY AND DISSEMINATION 
OP SEEDS. 
{Continued. ) 
As to how long seels carefully preserved 
retain their vitality, and the power of germina- 
tion remains, there is little precDe and reliable 
information, though attem[)ts have oft'Ui been 
made to solve the que.stion. The labours of 
Danberry, llenslow and Liiidley afford much 
material for reflection, h.aving been conducted 
in a methodical and pe.in.st.iki ig way, whiLt 
their labours extended over a long serie.s of years. 
More is known of ttie seeds of cultivated 
specie.^, for, bei ig article.s of Lrad'g merchants 
make a careful study of a matter so closely affect- 
ing their interests. Coffee seeds, in order to 
grow, require to be sown immedi.ately after 
ripening. On the other hand, melon seeds have 
been siiid to retain their vitality for upwards 
of 40 years. (Balfour, Manual of Botang.) The 
l ist example could only ajiply if the k»ed was 
p.eserved under special conditions, not exposed 
to the air. It is acknowledged that seeds of 
the Br.aS'ica family, (to which belong mustard, 
c ibbage &c.) will ge: minute when 10 years of 
age, though a less i>erceiitage of growths 
arrive, after the 6;h year, klany gardeners 
maintain that t he progress of cert.iin vegetables 
is more regular, more gradual, with less chance 
of running away to bloom prematurely, when 
the seed is 2 years of age than when it is 
threshed from the pad. On th.e contr.iry, .should 
condition.s advei’se to germination prevail, such 
as drought, or should mi-ciiievous insects 
abound, tlien new seed has a decided advantage as 
possessing more moisture and strength. The .-tory 
of wheat jiroiluced from the Egyptian pyr.imiil.^, 
and which was ,sup])Osed to have been placed tlnn-e 
at the time of the burial cf the mummy, tests the 
credulity of the scienti.-^t as well as th.at of the hus- 
bauilman. De Candolle in his Origin of Cultivated 
Plants., confesses that he doe.s not believe in 
the so-cillel mummy wheat, which the Count 
of Stenburg is credited wit h growing at Prague, 
!ind which issiqip sed to have [)roduced a new 
rtice of wheat. He states that lie Arabs slip 
modern seeds into the lomlis (even maize, an 
American plant i for the purpose of impo.^ing 
upon visitors ! 
