40 



the trouble is an ever increasing and rapidly growing one. What can be done to coun- 

 teract the workings of this enemy to gooseberry culture V 



This worm is the progeny of a small grey moth (see Fig. 9), which lays its eggs upon 

 Pi„ 9 (^ the gooseberries as soon as they begin to form. The moth, when 



JsTv fj? its wings are expandeil, meas'ires nearly an inch across. Its 



g M ' -_-j y^!ffi^aMMfa| fore wings are pale grey with dark streaks and bands. There is 

 ^^ ' ' '^*W^ a transverse diffuse band a short distance from the base of the 

 - ,.,, -^ wing, enclosing an irregular whitish line which terminates before 

 reaching the front edge of the wing. Near the outer edge is 

 another transverse band enclosing a whitish zig-zag line. There is also a row of blackish 

 dots within the outer margin ; the veins and their branches are white. The hind wings 

 are paler and dusky. The head, antennae, body and legs are all pale grey, more silvery 

 underneath than above. 



This insect passes the winter in the chrysalis state, enclosed in a brown papery-look- 

 ing cocoon (see Fig. 9), hid amongst leaves or other rubbish on the surface of the ground, 

 and escapes from the chrysalis, and appears as a moth during the latter part of April. 

 Shortly after they seek their mates, and the females are ready to deposit their eggs as 

 soon as the fruit is sufficiently advanced in growth, these are probably attached singly to 

 the fruit, where in a few days they hatch, producing worms, which burrow in the fruit as 

 our correspondent has described. 



When full grown, the worms lower themselves to the ground by silken threads which 

 they spin at will, and there construct their little silken cocoons amongst the dried leaves 

 and rubbish, and remain in this inactive state until the following spring ; hence there is 

 only one brood during the year. 



The infested fruit soon indicates the presence of this larva, by becoming discoloured 

 and withered. We have found them attacking currants also, both white and red, and 

 occasionally infesting the black currant. 



The most satisfactory remedy we know of, is hand-picking. The evidences of their 

 presence are not difficult to detect. Any berries found colouring prematurely, should be 

 examined, and as the larvae slip out and fall to the ground very quickly care must be 

 taken that they do not escape in this manner. We have tried dusting the bushes with 

 fresh air-slacked lime late in April, with good results, the moths seeming to avoid almost 

 entirely bushes so dusted. We would also suggest keeping the ground under the bushes 

 clean, so as to aflford them no hiding-places, also the use of some ashes or lime strewed 

 under the bushes. It is said that, if chickens are allowed the run of the gooseberry patch 

 after the fruit has been picked, they will greatly lessen their numbers by devouring 

 the chrysalids. The mode of life adopted by this insect prevents the successful use of any 

 poison applied to the bushes as may be readily done when the larva feed on the leaves of 

 the bush they infest. 



The Cabbage Butterfly (Pieris rap(e). 



While we regret to have to record the onward march of the Cabbage Butterfly which 

 has now si)read over the whole of western Ontario, destroying yearly tens of thousands 

 of cabbages, we are at the same pleased to be able to state that its natural enemy the 

 little ichneumon parasite, Pleromahis pujmrum. described in our previous reports, is closely 

 following in its wake — out of a large number of chrysalids of the butterfly found about 

 London, a considerable proportion have been found upon e.xamination to be infested with 

 these parasites. 



This friendly insect is a tiny four-winged fly, about one-eighth of an inch long, with 

 a golden coloured body and greenish head. The female spends her time in searching for 

 the chrysalids of the butterfly, into which she drills little holes and therein deposits her 

 eggs ; these hatch into tiny maggots, which prey upon the substance of the chrysalis and 

 finallj' devour it. 



