CURRANT GALL MITE. 65 



In the following notes, sent me on April 7th, 1897, by Mr. 

 C. D. Wise (Manager of the Toddington Fruit Grounds, 

 Winchcombe, Gloucestershire), it will be seen we have details 

 of the number of quarts of galled buds gathered in the years 

 11196 and 1897, with cost of gathering per acre ; and also the 

 absence of benefit from the outlay : — 



" Gall Mites on Black Currants. — We have a very serious 

 aUack of Gall Mites this spring, as will be shown by the 

 following statement : — 



Field Quantity of Galled ^ost of Picking. 



Number. Buds picked per acre. 



1 1896 ... li quarts 3s. 6d. per acre. 



1897 ... 12 ,, 7s. 6d. 



2 1896 ... U „ 4s. 6d. 



1897 ... 8 „ 6s. 9d. 



3 1896 ... 4 „ 5s. 6d. 



1897 ... 16 „ 10s. lOd. „ 



" Where we have picked the Gall Mites off last autumn, 

 the attack seems to be quite as bad this spring. You will see 

 that the cost per acre picking off the galls comes to a very 

 serious item, but I do not see that there is anything else we 

 can do ; if you can suggest anything we shall be very glad." 



On December 22nd (1897) Mr. Wise reported further :— " I 

 am sorry to say that the Black Currant Gall Mite increases 

 with us ; the bushes this autumn are covered with galls." 



The plan of cutting off infested shoots to within two or 

 three inches of ground level or even quite down to ground 

 level, and in the former case treating the stumps and the 

 ground round with an emulsion of soft-soap and paraffin oil, 

 and in the latter liming the stools, has not answered, although 

 where the emulsion was used the new shoots promised well 

 for a time. In the other the young shoots were at once 

 attacked. 



Amongst observations of treatment from which some amount 

 of good resulted was a note sent in 1885 of about half an acre 

 being affected by the infestation, to which " a dressing was 

 given of two parts sulphur and three parts lime boiled together 

 in water (2 lb. sulphur and 3 lb. lime, 3 gallons of water), 

 which is further diluted at the rate of two or three pints to a 

 large pail of water, applied with a syringe to the infested 

 bushes." The effect of this application was that little or no 

 damage was done, but the remark was made that " it seems 

 difficult to clear the garden altogether." 



Another correspondent mentioned on April 10th (1892) : — 

 " As you suggested in a letter of last March, we syringed the 

 bushes twice with the solution of Paris-green, which I pro- 



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