22 
BEANS. 
r 
taken possession of the Bruchus- holes, from which it is impossible to 
dislodge them. This spoilt the sample for sale,—was annoying for use, 
for grinding did not effectually destroy the oats ; and I shall be obliged 
to purchase fresh and cleaner seed, if I can get it. My spring (May 
and June) Beans were bad, but the Winter Beans suffered immensely; 
and so it is almost everywhere.” 
The following note from Manifold Wick, Kelvedon, contributed on 
June 11 tli, by Mr. J. J. Harrison, further shows the prevalence of the 
Bean Beetle in Essex, and the direct loss caused by the injury :—“ I 
enclose you a sample of Beans grown on this land, which have been 
considerably depreciated in value for some years by beetles, some of 
which I enclose also. For some years they have been a pest, but 
never so bad as last year, when they perforated the Beans to such an 
extent as to make them unsaleable.” 
The above notes show the prevalence of injury from the Bean-seed 
Beetle in Essex and Kent and in Buckinghamshire, and also to some 
extent in Herts; and the following note shows its presence at one 
locality in Bedfordshire :— 
On April 4tli, Mr. G. F. Street, of Maulden, Amptliill, in reply to 
my enquiries as to Bruchus in English Beans, forwarded me a sample 
of Beans that he had grown for four years, the seed of which originally 
came from Biggleswade. In the sample sent, which was of about 
thirty-five Beans, seventeen were still infested, the beetle in most 
cases showing close to the round hole in the Bean, from which the 
sound bit of skin had been pushed off; about nine or ten Beans had 
been infested, but the beetle-gallery or tunnel was now empty. The 
remainder were variously injured or deformed, but beetle-presence was 
not certainly observable. 
Beans that are still infested by the beetle may be known by having 
a little round depression in the skin, which is also, at this spot, 
slightly yellowish or transparent. This appearance is caused by the 
substance of the Bean having been eaten aw T ay inside by the maggot, 
which gnaws its gallery in the seed up to the skin, so that this sinks a 
little into the hollow space. When the beetle emerges, it pushes this 
circular bit of skin off, and the round holes thus caused show that the 
seed has been infested. The above points are desirable to look to in 
choosing seed. Autumn-sown seed is most likely to be infested, as a 
large proportion of the beetles do not come out till the end of winter, 
or, in some cases, well on in spring. 
In regard to methods fur lessening amount of loss from this attack, one 
is, great care in examining samples of seed before buying. As the 
young plant, wdien first sprouting, lives much on the store of food laid 
up in the large seed-leaves, it would be expected that where much 
of these had been eaten away, this would weaken the young plant, 
