INSECTS AFFECTING CURRANTS. 209 



INSECTS AFFECTING CURRANTS, ETC. 



A DISCUSSION. 



Mr. Hartwell: How does the saw fly deposit its eg-g-s? 



Prof. Lugger: The saw fly formerly split the midrib on the leaf 

 and inserted its eggs, and the moment it came in contact with the 

 sap it would swell up. Our saw fly that is so destructive no longer 

 has such a habit. Instead of going to the trouble of splitting the 

 leaves, it simply lays the eggs along the ribs on the under side. 

 We have a saw fly with a saw which it does not use. We find it has 

 a saw blade, but by not having used the saw for many generations 

 it has lost the teeth. At one time every saw fly had the same habit, 

 but by being assisted by man in growing lots of food they do not go 

 to the trouble of laying eggs in that way any longer. We have two 

 generations a year at least in most places, and the worms are easily 

 kept in check, much more so than other insects. They are readily 

 killed by an application of anything in the form of poison that kills 

 by contact. The smallest amount of hellebore will kill insects that 

 belong to the saw fly order, while it will not kill many other insects. 

 It is simply an excellent remedy against saw flies and their close 

 relations. You can use it either wet or in the form of powder; it de- 

 pends on the number of bushes you have to spray. I prefer to use 

 it wet as a spray, so that every part of the plant can be reached. It 

 kills by contact and poison. It hills by contact in the most curious 

 way. As soon as you touch a worm with the smallest amount of it, 

 it will squirm and act as if it was paralyzed. It drops to the ground 

 apparently not hurt, but it is unable to get back again to the plant. 

 If the hellebore does not come in contact with the worm, the worm 

 dies from eating the material on the leaves. Hellebore is poison to 

 insects of that kind. As far as saw flies are concerned we should 

 not be bothered with them; they are easily killed, but they should 

 be killed in time. The trouble is we kill the first generation when 

 they are apt to do injury, but after we pick the fruit we let the 

 second brood go, and they have a chance to multiply for the next 

 year. The second brood should be poisoned just the same as the 

 first. Chickens and other animals will not eat worms of this char- 

 acter. I have starved chickens for more than a day, and they have 

 refused to eat the worms. I tried to find out why it was that where 

 chickens had the run of the bushes there were not many worms, and 

 I found it was the constant passing among the bushes and shaking 

 them, causing the worms to tumble to the ground, when it is almost 

 impossible for them to again get back on the plants; they usually 

 starve on the ground. To satisfy myself that that was the case I 

 tried several experiments. I took a rope and had a boy at the other 

 end; we would stretch the rope along a row of currants and shake 

 them, throwing the worms to the ground, and after two or three ap- 

 plications I found the plants were entirely free from worms. They 

 were unable to reach the plants again and died on the ground. So 

 this insect is easily kept in check if attended to in time. 



Mr. Tomlinson: How do you use that hellebore? 



Prof. Lugger: Just take a handful of hellebore and a bucket of 



