REAN APHIS. 
5 
The great serviceableness of gas-lime in destroying insect-eggs or 
vermin at the surface of the ground is well known, and, with regard 
to the beneficial action in the case of Beans and similar crops, the 
following extract, taken from the pamphlet ‘ On the composition and 
use of Gas-lime in Agriculture,’ by the late Dr. Aug. Voelcker, 
Consulting Chemist of the Royal Agricultural Society, will be of 
interest:— 
“Gas-lime not only supplies lime to plants, but also sulphuric acid, 
a combination not present in any quantity in quicklime. For legu¬ 
minous crops, such as Peas or Beans, for Clover and other crops 
specially benefited by sulphate of lime or gypsum, gas-lime, when 
obtainable, as is generally the case at a trifling expense, is certainly 
preferable to quicklime as manure.” 
It is further remarked :— “ The crops which are particularly 
benefited by gas-lime, are Clover, Sainfoin, Lucerne, Peas, Beans, 
Vetches, and Turnips.” 
These remarks, particularly if taken in connection with the obser¬ 
vations of Mr. Buckton in ‘ British Aphides,’ regarding production of 
Aphides being most rapid where from some of various causes the flow 
of sap is not in a soundly healthy state, greatly confirms Mr. 
Crompton’s view of the alkali waste (which is very similar in compo¬ 
sition to gas-lime) being very serviceable in helping his Beans through 
the Aphis-attack.* 
The above notes show presence of Bean Aphis as a bad attack at 
localities in Lincolnshire, Yorks, Lancashire, Cheshire, Worcester¬ 
shire, and Kent, with reduction of yield sometimes merely mentioned 
as serious, sometimes as reduction to one quarter per acre, where 
the crop would have rightly yielded two, and sometimes a failure, 
necessitating cutting the crop for hay or fodder. 
As yet no better method of checking the attack is known than 
cutting off the tops of the Beans as soon as ever the first appearance 
of “ Colliers ” 'is seen, and where this is done, and the plants are in 
good heart, the plan appears to succeed well. 
* The difficulty in the use of gas-lime is, how much to apply, and also how long 
before the succeeding crop is put in the gas-lime may be laid on the land, as the 
utterly destructive properties which make gas-lime or alkali waste valuable to clear 
both insect, and plant vermin, when they are applied in caustic state fresh from the 
works, must be neutralised by exposure to air to cause the changes which turn the 
one or the other to a manure safe and serviceable in all cases where gypsum would 
be of use. Some observations as to quantities found serviceable have been given in 
preceding Reports, but the matter in its strictly agricultural and chemical bearing 
not falling fully within my own personal knowledge, I give the following extract 
from Dr. A. Voelcker’s pamphlet above referred to :— 
“With regard to the quantity of gas-lime that ought to be put on the land, no 
general rule can be laid down, for the quantity should be regulated by the relative 
