1899] RASPBERRY STEM-BUD CATERPILLAR. 123 



occasioned ; this being partly from the attack not being checked, and 

 l^artly also by the attempted remedies causing injury to the plants. 

 Several points of interest were mentioned, and amongst them the 

 circumstance that the Easpberry canes throw out secondary shoots 

 from the base of the injured buds, and thus a moderate crop was 

 secured from the infested canes, although somewhat late in date. The 

 first of Mr. R. Scott's communications, sent me on April 2Gth, was as 

 follows : — 



" The Raspberry growers around this district are being seriously 

 perturbed over the appearance in their plantations of a small red 

 caterpillar, which exhibits a marked liking for the buds of the Rasp- 

 berry canes. I am sending per parcel post a number of short lengths 

 of canes, which show manner of attack. The writer is of the opinion 

 it is the Raspberry Moth caterpillar, as detailed in one of your Reports 

 some years ago, but as said Report has gone amissing, reference cannot 

 be obtained. The chief matter in doubt at present amongst growers 

 is the condition and situation in which the caterpillar hibernates. It 

 is presumed that it is in the ground, but the caterpillar being so small 

 and the numbers on the canes so great, many are disposed to doubt 

 this. If the Report has impressed me correctly, the caterpillars hatch 

 out in the summer, and, passing into the ground, hibernate there 

 until they appear, still in the caterpillar form,* in the following spring. 

 To meet this condition of things, a number of growers tried gas-lime 

 around the stools, but with disastrous results to the following crop, as 

 a very large percentage of bearing canes never started a bud, and those 

 that did start were much feebler and later than usual. It is probable, 

 however, that the quantity of gas-lime, eight to twelve tons per acre, 

 was too large a dressing. Spraying has been adopted, Paris-green and 

 quassia chip solution, but, so far, I rather think the result is not up to 

 expectations. For one thing, spraying was too late in being done, 

 caterpillars being safely hidden inside the buds. The only redeeming 

 feature is that, while the first buds may be irretrievably- ruined, the 

 Raspberry canes throw out secondary buds from the base of old buds, 

 and these give a moderate crop, although later than the original buds 

 would have yielded. 



" The form in which canes are tied in this district is no doubt 

 rather in favour of attack. Either the canes of each stool are taken 

 and tied somewhat firmly (practically in a bunch), or else half of the 

 canes from each of the stools are brought together in the form of an 

 arch, and tied in that position. Under such conditions caterpillars 



* It will be seen that the above observations are very nearly although not quite 

 correct. The caterpillars do go down from the Easpberry fruit when full-fed, but 

 the spinning up for hibernation has not been recorded as taking place anywhere 

 excepting on the stool. 



