GOOSEBERRY AND CURRANT SAWFLY. 317 



picking, or shaking clown and destroying, syringing, or dusting 

 with various dry dressings, sulphur more especially, have all 

 been found to answer. 



Handpicking has been especially recommended, or the less 

 tedious, though less complete, way of shaking the caterpillars 

 down ; or syringing, and then shaking and destroying -the 

 grubs by trampling, or throwing hot lime on them. The plan 

 of having freshly tarred boards placed below the bushes to 

 retain them as they fall, or beating down on to cloths and 

 collecting the vermin and destroying them, also answers well. 



For syringing the following mixture has been recom- 

 mended : — Three gallons of warm soap-suds, half a pound of 

 soda, half a pound of salt, and a handful of soot ; the bushes 

 to be syringed on a still day when the sun is off them. Half 

 an hour after the application the plants should have clean 

 water dashed over them. It is stated that this mixture does 

 not injure either the young fruit or leaves, and soapsuds by 

 themselves syringed on the bushes have been found useful. In 

 short, anything that annoys the caterpillar, and makes the 

 leafage distasteful to it ivithout injuring the leaves, will be of 

 service ; but at the same time the fluid applications are 

 hardly practicable on the large scale of fruit farming. 



Dnj dressings are more easily applied on a broad scale, and 

 amongst these flour of sulphur has been especially recom- 

 mended, dusted on the leaves when the dew is on, or if in dry 

 weather after watering. 



Mr. W. J. Goodwin, of Winfield House, Crouch, Sevenoaks, 

 reported that he considered " the best remedy for Gooseberry 

 caterpillars is to give a liberal sprinkling of fresh, good soot 

 early in the morning when the trees are damp, two or three 

 large handfuls to a good-sized tree, so as to make it quite black 

 ivitli soot. It is of no use unless it is done when the trees are 

 damp, so that it sticks on well. If it comes off by rain coming 

 shortly after, it must be done again. It acts, of course, as a 

 first-rate manure afterwards, causing the trees to make good 

 wood for another year." 



Koached lime, hot lime, and soot, and various other dry 

 dressings, all would be of use applied so as to adhere, as above 

 mentioned, to the leaves. But tlie thing to prevent infestation 

 coming seriously, year by year, as it is apt to do when once 

 established, is to get rid of the cocoons, as mentioned at p. 315, 

 so thoroughly during the winter, that no vermin remains to 

 give trouble. From my own observation and personal expe- 

 rience, I believe this plan of prevention to be thoroughly 

 satisfactory. 



