304 CUKBANT. 



shelter themselves in the ])nds, feedinj;' on the outer surfaces 

 of the embryo leaves, and settmg up a diseased growth, which 

 first causes a swollen condition of the bud, distinguishing it 

 very plainly from those in a healthy state, and at last renders 

 the whole, leaf-bud and flower-stem together, abortive, and is 

 sometimes known as the " Kose-bud " Currant Gall. 



Amongst specimens sent me I have found as many as seven 

 diseased leaf knobs, which could hardly Ije called buds (from 

 a quarter to three eighths of an inch across), on one Black 

 Currant shoot only about three inches long. 



From notes sent me in 1887, by Mr. J. Le Tall, from 

 Hackenthorpe, West Sheffield, this mite disease had been 

 noticed on Black Currants for fifteen years before that date, 

 but during the last few years it has become much more 

 prevalent. It is now regularly reported yearly as a serious 

 cause of loss to Black Currant growers in various localities 

 both in England and Scotland, and when once established is 

 found to be most difficult, if not impossible, to be got rid of by 

 any measures except thorough eradication of the infested plants; 

 but from notes sent me, and from my own observations, I 

 should say that the infestation establishes itself gradually, 

 and that by keeping good watch severe settlement of attack 

 might be forestalled. 



Prevention and Eemedies. — On May 7th, in 1885, Mr. 

 Arthur Bull forwarded me specimens from the neighbourhood 

 of Cottenham, Cambs, with the information that there was 

 about half an acre so affected, and " the attack had been 

 coming on for two or three years." When attack is first 

 observed, it would be very desirable to cut off attacked shoots 

 and to burn them ; or if there are only a few galled buds 

 noticeable, to break these carefully off and destroy them ; or 

 if only a very few bushes were attacked these should be cut 

 off at ground-level and burnt, the stumps dug up and burnt 

 also, and caustic gas-lime or quicklime thrown about where 

 each bush stood. This would answer at first, but afterwards, 

 as the mites stray about and shelter under rough bark or in 

 crannies near the ground, and are almost certain to come out 

 again from them to cause new injury, it is excessively 

 difficult to deal with them. The most hopeful remedies seem 

 to be mixtures such as those used for Red Spider or for Scale 

 Insect, especially mixtures of sulphur and soft-soap applied as 

 syringings ; these run down the shoots and lodge in the 

 crannies and between the buds and the stem, and thus clog 

 up the nooks which shelter most of the mites not in the buds. 

 The following recipe, given by Mr. Arthur Bull, would 

 probably be very serviceable, as boiling the sulphur with some 

 lime would make it dissolve ; — 



