Insects, etc.. Injurious to Currants. 237 



middle of September many l)uds are swollen, especially in the 

 vicinity of the dried-up buds which have burst, and many mites and 

 eggs are present in each. Beneath the bud scales Lewis found, in 

 several cases, about half a dozen mites entirely red in colour, ^^•hich 

 was probably due to their food, as the scales on which the mites were 

 situated were reddish in tint. On the 2-4th of September he found a 

 few buds with scales reddish in colour contained red mites, but these 

 were always near the outside of the bud ; in one case he found two 

 red mites near the centre of a bud. The most important points seem 

 to be that from the middle of April, or earlier, to the end of May, or 

 later, according to season and situation of the bushes, as a succession 

 of swollen buds burst, mites are to be found crawling outside the 

 buds, on the stems, flowers, and petioles of the leaves, or congregated 

 between the base of the leaf petiole and the main stem ; that they 

 are afterwards found in the new buds as soon as they begin to grow ; 

 and that, as far as can be at present ascertained, they do not appear to 

 be able to live for any length of time in the soil. I have also found 

 them sheltering under the rind of the " snags " of cut back bushes. 

 At present we are quite unable to say what happens to many of them 

 which escape from the swollen buds before the young buds are foi^med. 

 and also how it is that when a bush is cut right back they start on 

 the young shoots. The probability is that many can and do live for 

 a time under the rind and in the ground, and then come out and 

 invade the young buds. 



A^\rviETiES Chiefly Attacked. 



Most varieties are attacked, some worse, however, than others ; 

 the Baldwin suffers most, then Black Naples and Black Dutcli and 

 Lee's Prolific. 



Carter's Champion was considered to enjoy immunity in some 

 districts in Kent, but is now very badly diseased. 



The old varieties of black currant were never found to be 

 attacked in Kent until the last five years. Now some of the worst 

 cases may be seen in cottage gardens when they grow. The Boskoop 

 Giant is to some extent resistant, owing to its very strong growth. 

 The French currant is at present only slightly attacked in this 

 country and is worth trying, but will probably share the same fate 

 as others. 



Means by which the Disease is Speead. 



The ways in which the mite is carried from bush to bush and 

 plantation to plantation are many. 



