286 



The Spraying of Plants. 



INSECT ENEMIES. 



Borer; Imported Currant-borer (Sesia [Mgeria] tipuliformis, 

 Linn.). Description. The parent moth, which is about three- 

 quarters of an inch across the expanded wings, is bluish-black 

 in color, and has three yellow bars extending across the abdo- 

 men. The eggs are laid in the spring, and the small white 

 larvae which soon appear gnaw to the pith, upon which they 

 feed. They pupate in the fall, but the moth does not appear 



FIG. 53. Currant leaf spot. 



till the following spring. The presence of this borer materially 

 reduces the vitality of the cane in which it feeds, to the injury 

 of the crop. Gooseberry plants are also occasionally affected. 



Treatment. The best way to overcome the pest is to watch 

 for weak canes, and when these are found they should be cut 

 off close to the ground and burned. 



Currant-worm; Currant Saw-fly; Gooseberry Saw-fly; Im- 

 ported Currant- worm (Nematus ventricosus King.). Descrip- 

 tion. The currant-worm was imported from Europe probably 

 some years before 1860. The adult insect is a four-winged 

 fly which bears a certain resemblance to the common house- 



