GOOSEBERRY AND CURRANT SAWFLY. 47 
have sixty acres of Gooseberries attacked by the Sawfly caterpillars, 
from which they have for nine years been perfectly free, with the ex- 
ception of last year, when a few appeared in September after the crop 
was picked. 
“ The ravages committed within the past three days are perfectly 
astounding, despite the fact that every available hand has been put on 
spraying with quassia and soft-soap, while others follow and spread 
slacked quick-lime on the creatures as they lie under the trees. We 
are picking the fruit as fast as possible where we have not used the 
spray; but with such a big ground there appears little hope of stopping 
the mischief.” 
Mr. Ellis further enquired whether there were any means by which 
the pest could be got rid of for the future, as it was ruinous if con- 
tinued, and he could hardly hope that all would be exterminated by 
any system whatever. This matter I refer to further on. 
On the 24th of May Mr. Eldred Walker, writing from White Hall 
Farm, Chewstoke, near Bristol, gave me the following recipe for a 
good broadscale application which he had found useful in clearing this 
destructive pest :—‘‘ It may be of interest to you to know how I have 
exterminated the Gooseberry Sawfly and Red Spider from my garden. 
For several years my Gooseberries were completely spoiled by these 
pests. I made a couple of hogsheads of strong lime-water, and 
thoroughly sprayed the bushes with it early in the morning.* I had an 
assistant to pull the bushes over, so that the liquid might reach the 
under part of the leaves as well as the outside. After about five 
minutes of this, I had the bushes violently shaken, when nearly every 
insect dropped off; to complete their discomfiture, directly I had done 
shaking the bush, I had the surface of the ground freely dusted with 
air-slaked lime. I had this done three times at intervals of two days, 
and now I have not the slightest trace of the ravages of either in my 
garden. I find this treatment is far better in the early morning than 
when it is used at mid-day.”—(H. W.) 
The following observation, sent me on the 10th of July by Mr. 
Geo. Whereat, from Aldington Grove, Sydenham, shows continuance 
of bad attack late in the season, and in this case notes it also as in- 
festing the Currant-leafage:—‘‘I am suffering from a regular epidemic 
of caterpillars on the Gooseberry-bushes. . . . These are eating 
every leaf off the bushes. I have tried soft-soap and paraffin, which 
they seem to thrive on, also salt water; hand-picking seems useless, 
as there are frequently four or five on each leaf,—I found seventeen 
on one Currant-leaf. They are very pale transparent green, with tiny 
black spots, a yellow band at head and tail, varying in size from about 
a quarter-inch to an inch in length.” 
* T add the italics, as this is a very important point.—Ep, 
