GOOSEBEERY AND CURRANT SAWFLY. 315 



Prevention and Eemedies, — 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 clown in autumn a little below the 

 surface, the depth varying from about two inches to somewhat 

 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 yearly from 1878 to 1884, 

 inclusive, by superintendent horticulturists and others, 

 regarding prevention of Sawfly-attack, the following notes 

 refer more particularly to this simple method of clearing out 

 coming mischief : — 



" 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, ivith u^iatever may be in it, is buried. The 

 soil under the Gooseberry bushes is replaced by that out 

 of the hole, with the addition of some manure." — (Alex. 

 Anderson, The Gardens, Oxenford Castle, Dalkeith, N.B.) 



" When there is reason to fear an attack " [i.e., when there 

 has been bad attack the previous year (Ed.)] " the soil should 

 be removed to the depth of two inches round the bushes in 

 the early spring, and a good sprinkling of lime dusted round 

 each bush ; by this means the caterpillars are cleared away 

 and destroyed." — (George McKinlay, The Gardens, Kilcon- 

 quhar House, Fifeshire.) 



" Caterpillars not nearly so injurious as last season. 

 During the winter I removed all the surface-soil from under 

 the bushes." — (John Matheson, Addington, Winslow, Bucks.) 



" Goose])erry bushes in my garden, from beneath which the 

 earth had been scraped a few inches deep in the previous 

 autumn and replaced by manure, (kc, were free from attack." 

 -^Ed.) 



I also received a note from a gardener in the district near 

 Isleworth, where Gooseberries are largely grown, that one 

 method of treatment is to scrape all the surface from beneath 

 them in the autumn and to form it into a line between the 

 rows of Gooseberry bushes, and there diji it in. 



In this way a great amount of attack is prevented, but it is 



