31 G GOOSEBERRY. 



necessary to be careful as to having the seraped-off surface- 

 soil diifi in very tlwrougldij. On one occasion I saw the first 

 part of the operation carried out on a large scale, — the earth 

 was scraped from under the bushes and formed into lines 

 between them, — but there work stopped ; consequently the 

 cocoons lay just as safely as if nothing had been done, and 

 when spring came the Gooseberry leaves were again riddled 

 by the caterpillars. The plan advised (p. 315) by Mr. Alex. 

 Anderson, of digging a deep hole and burying the infested 

 earth safely away, is much more secure. 



This complete removal of the soil with the cocoons is quite 

 worth while wherever Gooseberry caterpillar is prevalent ; but, 

 in case of the surface-soil not being removed, a layer of 

 unslacked lime, well mixed with the soil as deep as the cocoons 

 are, would be highly beneficial. Gas-lime also would be of 

 service, well sprinkled on the surface, if fresh, or lightly 

 pricked into the surface- soil beneath the bushes after it had 

 been aired for a few weeks, taking care not to let it lie against 

 the stem.* 



The following notes refer especially to use of Lime or Gas 

 Lime as above mentioned. Mr. George Brown, writing from 

 Watten Mains, Caithness, N. B., mentioned : — " Year after 

 year these attacks occur, and nothing in the shape of preven- 

 tion is ever attempted ; dressing with quick-lime, and clearing 

 away the earth beneath the hushes, seems to be the best and 

 surest measure." 



Mr. Arthur Ward, writing from The Gardens, Stoke Edith 

 Park, Hereford, noted: — "Currants and Gooseberries out in 

 the open garden have kept quite free from caterpillars (on the 

 open ground) ; this, I think, was owing to the trees being dressed 

 with lime early in spring. We have had very fine crops, and 

 the flavour is excellent. Currant trees on the wall, which 

 were not dressed with lime, were attacked. The attack com- 

 menced on the bottom of the tree on the leaves nearest the 

 ground." 



At Callendar Park Gardens, Falkirk, Mr. T. Boyd men- 

 tioned : — " I dress over all my Gooseberry ground with gas- 

 lime in early spring before forking over the soil, and have not 

 seen one of these caterpillars for three years." And Mr. 

 Thomas H. Hart, of Park Farm, Kingsworth, Kent, also 

 reported : — " I am now satisfied that I have benefited by the 

 application of gas-lime between my bushes. Grubs there 

 certainly have been, but, whilst they have almost stripped 

 other bushes of their leaves, those on the dressed ground are 

 little the worse for the attack." 



When the caterpillars are observable on the bushes, hand- 



* For references to method of use of Gas Lime, see Index. 



