162 THE BOOK OF THE ROSE CHAP. 
probably save some trouble and loss. On the other 
hand some of the flies may be ichneumons, which 
lay their eggs in the bodies of caterpillars and there- 
fore do good. But it is a safe rule to suspect all 
insect life; foes are numerous and friends are few, 
and the more free the Roses are from insects of 
any sort, the better they will be. Bear in mind, 
however, that, next to the aphis or green fly, certain 
small moths are the commonest enemies of Rose 
plants, and if any such innocent-looking flutterers 
be seen among them they should be hunted and 
destroyed. 
Earliest in appearance among the moth larve is 
what is generally known as the black grub. This 
is ‘‘the worm i the bud,” the Rose grub par 
excellence, being the larva of a pretty and delicate- 
looking moth (Tortriz). It may be found in April 
or even earlier, the inserted buds on what are to 
be maiden standards being often infested, even 
before they have begun to grow. It is more like a 
fat brown maggot than a caterpillar, but has the 
power of spinning a thread with which it fastens 
the leaves together to form its concealment; and it 
can let itself down to the ground when disturbed, by 
a line which serves for a ladder on its return. A 
little experience of the proper appearance of healthy 
Rose foliage and of the twisted and folded leaves 
which betray the presence of this pest will suffice 
for its discovery on a developed shoot, but it is not 
always so easy to detect it on the precious first 
pushing bud of a maiden plant. As soon as there 
is any warmth in April, these dormant buds on 
Standard Stocks should be examined, at least every 
other day, with a magnifying glass, spectacles, or 
