136 FRUIT GROWING FOR AMATEURS 



weevil often plays great havoc in gardens. The egg of the 

 weevil is laid in the flower bud and the blossom is destroyed 

 by the larva or grub. The larva pupates within the bud, and 

 subsequently the beetle emerges through a hole made in the 

 side. The weevils pass the winter on the trees, hiding under 

 rough bark and in other likely places, and many may be killed 

 by spraying the trees with a caustic wash, the formula for which 

 will be found on another page. All weeds round about the 



L 



When Shoots are attacked by the Black 

 Currant Mite the Buds become enlarged as 

 shown on the right, and are rendered useless 



base of the tree must be removed, and a slight sprinkling of 

 gas lime in autumn, on the soil near the tree, is advisable. 



Black Currant Gall Mite. This causes big-bud disease 

 of the Black Currant, which has been known in this country 

 tor seventy-five years, and within the last twenty-five years 

 has spread all over the country; and the damage done has 

 been so great in some districts that Black Currant growing 

 has ceased. The disease is caused by the presence in the buds 

 of mites of the species Eriophytes ribis. As a result of the 

 irritation caused by the presence of the mites and the punctures 

 of the young leaves by the mandibles of mites in their feeding, 

 the buds swell greatly and become rounded in shape. If the 

 buds are badly infested by the mites then neither leaves nor 



