STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. I49 



evenly and the skin is rather tough. A few for home use are, 

 however, desirable. 



INSECTS AND DISEASES. 



The leading- insect enemies of the currant are the well known 

 currant worm and the currant borer. The former may very 

 readily be managed by spraying with Paris green in the propor- 

 tion of one pound to 250 gallons of water when the eggs first 

 hatch in the spring and before the fruit sets. After'the fruit has 

 formed we use hellebore freely. This is applied both dry and in 

 water. If used in the dry state the addition of a little flour will 

 render it more adhesive. In water one ounce of hellebore is 

 mixed with three gallons. The currant borer is best managed 

 by cutting out the canes which harbor the msects, as the larvae 

 remain in the cane over winter. 



A comparatively new insect which at present baffles all 

 attempts at control, was described by Professor Harvey, in the 

 last annual report of the Experiment" Station. This insect is 

 somew'hat closely related to the well known Trypcta pomonclla. 



It is described by Professor Harvey as follows: "Perfect 

 insect a two-winged fly about the size of a house fly. Pale yellow 

 or orange with greenish iridescent eyes and dark bands across 

 the wings. Found about currant and gooseberry bushes during 

 June in Maine. Stings the currants, depositing an eg^g under 

 the skin, that hatches and develops into a small white maggot 

 causing the fruit to turn red and drop prematurely. The 

 maggots when grown leave the fallen or hanging fruit, enter the 

 ground, change to the pupa state from which the fly emerges 

 the following June."* 



Of the possible remedies suggested by Professor Harvey we 

 may mention the destruction of a crop after the eggs are laid and 

 before the fruit drops. This is radical treatment, but if all fruit 

 in the vicinity is destroyed for one year the pest must be greatly 

 reduced in numbers. 



GOOSEBERRIES. 



The gooseberry holds a unique position among American 

 fruits which are conmionlv cultivated from the fact that fruit 

 may be marketed in an unripe condition quite as well as when 



* Report Maine Experiment Station 1895, 118. 



