Small and Bush Fruits: Currants 157 



of vigorous habit, quickly attaining a great size. The fruit is very large 

 and set wide apart on long bunches. The buds on the stems are formed 

 with long spaces between them. On the whole it cannot be called a heavy 

 cropper. It was claimed for this Currant that it was immune to the " Big 

 Bud", but, alas! that can no longer be set to its credit. (See Coloured 

 Plate.) 



Lee's Prolific and Carter's Champion are each of them good varieties, 

 and well worth planting. [w. G. L.] 



2. DISEASES AND PESTS OF CURRANTS 



Magpie or Currant Moth (Abraxas grossulariata). A large Geometer 

 Moth (fig. 376), 1^ in. across the wings, creamy white, spotted with black 

 and some yellow on wings and 

 body. Appears in August and 

 September, and lays yellow eggs 

 on the Currant, Gooseberry, and 

 Hazel leaves. The eggs soon hatch 

 and the small dusky looper cater- 

 pillars that come from them live all 

 through the winter amongst dead 

 leaves, in holes in walls, &c. In 

 spring they come out and com- 

 mence to feed on the young leaves, 

 and by the end of June or July 

 have reached over 1 in. in length, 



when they are creamy white spotted with black and with orange side 

 markings. They are looper larvae having only one pair of mid prolegs. 

 When mature they spin a loose scanty cocoon and change to a black 

 pupa with golden-yellow bands. 



TREATMENT Autumnal spraying with arsenate of lead to kill the young 

 larvae. Winter spraying to clear away sheltering places with caustic soda 

 or spring spraying with arsenate of lead. 



Currant Shoot and Fruit Moth (Incurvaria capitella). A small 

 Tineid Moth which lays her eggs in the immature Currant fruitlets, usually 

 two in each. These turn to small larvae which feed in the seed and cause 

 premature ripening of the fruit. When quite small they leave the fruitlets 

 and crawl to some crevice under the rind, &c., near a bud, and there in a 

 flat grey cocoon they remain until next spring, when they emerge and 

 enter the buds and later tunnel up the shoots, which flag and die. The 

 moth appears from the pupa in the dead shoot in May; it is about | in. 

 in wing expanse, deep brownish with yellow marks on the front wings. 



Treatment consists of winter spraying with caustic soda and hand 

 picking the flagging shoots before the moths escape. 



Big Bud (Eriophyes ribis, Nalepa). The dreaded "Big Bud" in 

 Black Currants is caused by small mites known as Eriophyes ribis, 



