GOOSEBERRY AND CURRANT SAWFLY. 103 



the air. After the operation of casting the skin for the last 

 time they rest awhile, and then go down into the ground and 

 bury themselves, to turn to the pupal state, from which, as 

 mentioned above, the sawflies come out in three weeks in 

 summer, or, in the case of the late broods, in the following 

 spring or earl}^ summer. 



The following observation (taken from manjO, which was 

 sent me on the 15th of May, 1895, from Shalford, near 

 Guildford, gives a notable example of the great and rapid 

 <Iestruction of leafage which can be caused by this infesta- 

 tion : — " I have sixty acres of Gooseberries attacked by the 

 sawlly caterpillars. . . . The ravages committed within 

 the past three daj^s are perfectly astounding, desj^ite the fact 

 that every available hand has been put on spraying with 

 quassia and soft-soap, whilst others follow and spread slacked 

 quick-lime on the creatures as they lie under the trees. We 

 are picking the fruit as fast as possible where we have not 

 used the sj^ray, but with such a big ground there appears 

 little hope of stopping the mischief." — (E. E.) 



Prevention and Remedies. — Autumn or winter removal of 

 surface-soil from under the hushes. 



For prevention of all attack, excepting what may be borne 

 on the wing by stray sawflies blown from elsewhere, I believe 

 the above plan to be the most certain. 



The caterpillars go down in autumn a little below the 

 surface, the depth varying from about two inches to some- 

 what more, according to nature of ground. There they lie in 

 small brown cocoons, like little pellets of earth, during the 

 winter ; and when the leafage comes out in the spring, so do 

 the sawflies from their cocoons under the bushes, and lay 

 their eggs to start attack on the leaves. If the earth is 

 removed, with the cocoons in it, and got rid of in any way, 

 the amount of attack is enormously lessened. 



Amongst communications sent me during several years 

 (whilst this sawfly infestation was under special observation) 

 by superintendent horticulturists and others regarding reme- 

 dial measures which were found practically serviceable, the 

 following are so plainly stated, and so trustworthy, that I 

 repeat them again as they stand in the second edition of my 

 ' Manual,' with the names of the contributors appended. 



" For twenty years Gooseberry Sawfly caterpillars have not 

 occurred in the gardens under treatment in any quantity. 

 The surface-soil under the bushes is annually removed in 

 winter, a deep hole is dug in one of the quarters, and in this 

 the removed soil, with ivliatever may he in it, is buried. The 

 soil under the Gooseberry bushes is replaced by that out of 



