﻿OF THE STATE ENTOMOLOGIST. 13 



notably the saw-flies (genus Lophyrus) which affect the White Pines 

 and which will be treated of further on, the body of the male is almost 

 entirely black and that of the female almost entirely yellow, 



PREVENTIVE MEASURES. 



"The mode in which this Currant-worm has been transmitted, first 

 from the European nursery to the American nursery, and afterwards all 

 over several States of the Union, can be easily explained. As has been 

 stated just now, it usually passes the autumn and winter in the ground 

 under the bushes, where it has fed, housed in a little oval cocoon from ^ 

 to 75 inch long. Hence if, as often happens, infested bushes are taken up 

 in the autumn or early in the spring, with a little dirt adhering to their 

 roots, and sent off to a distance, that dirt will likely enough enclose a 

 cocoon or two. A single pair of cocoons, if they happen to contain 

 individuals of opposite sexes, will be sufficient to start a new colony. 

 The first and probably the second year the larvns will not be noticed; 

 but increasing as almost all insects do, unless checked from some 

 extraneous source, in a fearfully rapid geometric progression, by the 

 third or fourth year they will swarm, strip the bushes completely 

 bare of their leaves, and ruin the prospect for a good crop of fruit. 

 Of course, like other winged insects, they can fly from garden to 

 garden in search of a suitable spot whereon to deposit their eggs ; so 

 that any point where they have been once imported becomes, in a 

 few years, a new centre of distribution for the immediate neighbor- 

 hood. 



" Nurserymen and all others, importing Gooseberry and Currant 

 bushes from a distance, should be particularly careful, before they 

 plant them, to wash the roots thoroughly in a tuh of water ^ and hum 

 or scald whatever comes off them. Any cocoons, that may happen to 

 be hidden among the dirt attached to the roots, will then be 

 destroyed." 



By adopting these precautions the dissemination of so mischievous 

 a pest throughout the country, and especially its introduction into 

 Missouri, might be prevented for many years to come. 



REMEDIES. 



White hellebore, which can be had at a comparatively low price, 

 has proved an infallible remedy for this worm. 



'' All that is required is to dust it lightly over the infested bushes, 

 taking care to stand to windward during the operation, as if taken 

 into the nostrils it excites violent sneezing. For this purpose, the best 

 plan is to put the powder into a common tin cup, tying a piece of very 

 fine muslin over the mouth of the cup; or the powder may be simply 



