Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1912-08-16
INJURED BY INSECTS
Annual Loss to the Peanut Crop
Is 100000
Advent Of Mechanical ThrssheF In
ereases Damage Done by Active
Little Pests on Account Of
Shells Being Broken.

1t has been estimated that the pea
nut industry in the United States, for
the year 1910, amounted to $4,000
poo, and that about 20 per cent Of the
peanuts grown are injured by insects,
bringing the estimate Of annual loss
to s 100000
Until recently the peanut was con-
adhered practically immune from in
sect injury, the growing plants suffer
ing no noticeable damage, while the
nuts" are protected by their shells
from the usual insect enemies OF
stored products. With the advent OF
the mechanical threshsr Or peanut
picker this injury has greatly In
creased, amounting to as high a. 30
per cent. This is due to the tendency
Of operators to feed the nuts too
quickly through the machines, result
ing In broken shells, which afford easy
entrance to insect pests and to the
practice Of piling sacked nuts high in
storage warehouses. and climbing
upon the sacks. thus breaking the
shells and increasing the percentage
Of infestation. The insect principally
concerned In injury to the stored
product Is the Indian meal moth. Its
caterpillar, which, when fully grown.
measures about half an inch in length.
develops with great rapidity and If not
checked does consequent serious In.
jury. The moth which lays the eggs
which produce this destructive cater
pillar appears in the Virginia peanut
growing region in March and April,
and by June the first new generation
or brood" Of moths first becomes
noticeable In numbers. Later, other
generations are produced-as many as
four in ordinary temperatures and still
more in heated buildings.
Two effective methods of control
may be employed with excellent re-
sults-heat and fumigation. Heat Is
applicable only to mills or storage
rooms heated by steam. BY employ
ing steam at a temperature of rs to
100 pounds a temperature Of 120 de-
grees Fahrenheit may be easily pro-
duced on a hot day in summer. This
temperature, II maintained for about
six hours, readily penetrates the bags
and destroys the contained insects.
The temperature should not be raised
above 1876 degrees Fahrenheit, as ex-
periments have shown that blanching
and slipping Of the skin are apt to
tale place at higher temperatures, es-
pecially with shelled Spanish nuts.
A considerable degree of prevention
Of injury may be accomplished by the
grower and packer in the proper
handling Of the peanuts. Infestation
may begin In the storage sheds or
barns and Is especially apt to be severe
where the nuts are held over summer.
By avoiding this practice much injury
can be prevented. The same applies
to the practice Of crowding the me-
chanical pickers or ~threshers, es-
pecially those of the cylinder" type,
which results in broken peanut shells.
The peanuts should be stored in light,
well-ventilated buildings, preferably in
concrete, brick or stone structures.
rather than In loose frame buildings.
In addition to the necessity of fumi-
eating or heating the storage plant 1t
may be found advisable to fumigate
the freight cars used In transporting
the nuts.