THE GENESEE FARMER. 



22S 



denuded of leaves. Owing to the cool wet season 

 last year, the wood did not fully mature, and the 

 severe weather m December, and the prolonged 

 rains this spring, have so weakened the trees that 

 they are attacked by a disease somewhat similar to 

 the curl of the leaves in peach trees. The " best 

 dish of cherries" is shown by W. Kixo, — variety, 

 Bdle de Choisy ; the "best collection," by Ell- 

 WANGER & Barry. Among the best varieties of 

 these may be mentioned the Gov. Wood, Bauman's 

 May, May Duke, Rod-port Bigarreau, Downton, 

 Early Purple Gnigne, Early Richmond, New 

 Weeing, and Belle dWrleuiis. 



The show of vegetables is good, but we have not 

 time to examine them. 



THE GOOSEBERRY AND CURRANT CATERPILLAR. 

 Lu the last volume of the Genesee Farmer, sev- 

 eral of our correspondents, in different sections of 

 the country, alluded to the appearance of a cater- 

 pillar which destroyed the leaves of their currant 

 bushes. At that time it had troubled us but little 

 if at all, m this neighborhood ; but the ^present 

 season, our currant bushes, in many places are lit- 

 terally denuded of foliage by this destructive insect 

 which proves to be the gooseberry and currant 

 saw-fly {Nematus trimaculatus). 



GOOSEBERUT SAW-FLY. 



Grub, cocoon, and perfect insect. 



The flies emerge from their winter quarters about 

 the middle of April, and the female soon after de- 

 posits her eggs on the under side of the leaves. 

 The larva is hatched in about a week, and com- 

 mences feeding on the leaf, increasing in size, and 

 frequently changing its skin, till it is about three- 

 quarters of an inch in length. It is now of a dull 



pale-green color, the first thoracic segment being 

 deep yellow, the penultimate being also of the same 

 color ; the feet, tail, and head, are black, and each 

 segment is dotted black also, some having as many 

 as twenty-four spots arranged in lines down the 

 back, while those on the sides are more irregular, 

 with one large one at the base of each foot. They 

 have six pectoral, sharp, horny feet; the fourth 

 segment appears destitute of feet, but the six fol- 

 lowing are each furnished with a pair of legs, which 

 assist them in walking ; they have also a pair of 

 feet at the extremity of the last segment. 



In the fly state it assumes an ochreous c(jlor ; 

 the body is orange, sometimes bright ; the wings 

 are iridescent, and, when expanded, are about 

 two-thirds of an inch in length ; the antenna3 are 

 almost as long as the body, bristly, brownish above, 

 and nine-jointed; the crown of the head and eyes 

 are black, as are also three large confluent spots in 

 the center of the trunk, and also a large patch on 

 the breast or sternunu 



The broods of caterpillars appear in succession 

 occasionally from March till October, but in gi-eat- 

 est numbers in June. Sometimes they severely 

 attack the gooseberry in July and August, and after 

 denuding the bushes of their foliage, they descend 

 into the earth, spinning themselves a yellowish 

 cocoon of an elliptical form, and remam in their 

 pupa state till the following spring. Those of the 

 early summer brood descend in like manner, but in 

 the course of three weeks, or less, undergo their 

 transformation, and again appear as perfect flies. 



Syringing the bushes, on the first appearance of 

 the caterpillars, until the foliage is well wetted, and 

 then dusting them all over with powdered caustic 

 lime, is elfective. The operation should be per- 

 formed at least two or three times to secure their 

 destruction, and the earlier it is done the better. 

 Watering with lime water has much the same elFect, 

 and covering the ground under the bushes with 

 fresh taimer's bark is also advantageous. The most 

 radical cure, however, is to remove the soil under 

 the bushes to the depth of three inches, and lo dig 

 pits two feet deep and bury the soil in them, sub- 

 stituting that taken from the pits for that which 

 has been removed. Water heated to 140 deg., and 

 applied by the syringe or garden engine, has been 

 found destructive to the caterpillars, while the foli- 

 age has sustained no injury. The barbarous prac- 

 tice of striking the stem of the bush suddenly with 

 a mallet, so as to cause the caterpillars to fall to 

 the ground, where they may be bruised to death 

 with the back of a spade or trodden under foot, is 

 attended with much injury to the stem and bark of 

 the tree. A nurseryman in this City, whose cur- 

 rant bushes are infested with these caterpillars, has 

 them cut in two with a pair of scissors. 



