1899] CURKANT GALL MITE. 43 



On October 18th, Mr. Eobert Newstead, F.E.S., Curator of the 

 Grosvenor Museum, Chester, under whose microscopic superintendence 

 the PhytojJtus investigations have been carried on, wrote me regarding 

 results of his examination of the condition of my experimental bushes 

 as follows : — 



" I find no trace of Phytopms in any of the buds from the four lots 

 of bushes in your garden at Torrington. Moreover, the buds appear 

 perfectly healthy, and considering the treatment of the plants they 

 have made good growths." — (R. N.) 



On a subsequent (also microscopic) examination of buds taken from 

 the above-mentioned plots of Black Currants on Nov. 12th, Mr. New- 

 stead reported that, with regard to the "Baldwins" and Black Naples 

 which had been merely closely cut down and removed from the 

 Ridgmont grounds to my garden at St. Albans, he found both kinds 

 perfectly free from Phytoptus infestation in the buds, and with no 

 external signs of the diseased growth, and also that the plants appeared 

 to be in perfect health. 



With regard to the others which had been cut down, but likewise 

 steeped for two hours in equal parts of methylated spirit and water, 

 Mr. Newstead found no signs of mites about them, and the buds were 

 perfectly healthy. The plants (as detailed above) were less vigorous 

 than those which had merely been transplanted, but still those which 

 had survived it had made fair growth. 



In the same report, Mr. Newstead mentioned that he found the 

 isolated plots of Black Currants which had, like those in my own 

 garden, been removed from the experimental ground at Ridgmont, 

 where the Phytoptus infestation was present, to the garden of Mr. 

 Spencer Pickering, F.R.S. (Director of the Woburn Experimental Fruit 

 Farm), at Harpendeu, where no infestation ivas present, gave equally 

 satisfactory results. Mr. Newstead reported : — 



" I do not find a trace of Phytopti in them. The buds on the 

 shoots forwarded to me were perfectly healthy, and judging from these 

 I should say the plants were even more vigorous than those in your 

 garden at St. Albans."— (R, N.) 



Thus we found that in all the instances under observation there 

 was no conveyance of infestation in the earth at the roots of the Currants. 

 Although they had been taken up from infested ground, yet where 

 they were planted in gardens known to be clean from the pest, the 

 plants were found on the most stringent examination to be quite free 

 of all Phytoptus presence on their shoots and buds subsequently grow- 

 ing from the transplanted roots. 



To complete the experiment, observations were taken as to what 

 might occur to Black Currant removed to the Ridgmont Experimental 

 Grounds, but not to isolated gardens knoivn to be free from Phytoptus 



