EXPERIMENTS ON THE BLACK-CURRANT GALL-MITE. 13 



In 1905 this plantation was well manured, and in May it looked as 

 though it would repeat the crop of the previous year, but a night or 

 two of frost early in June carried it nearly all away, only 29 cwts. being 

 got from it. 



In the spring of this year (1905), no less than 300 bushes were 

 uprooted and burnt from the two plantations, the ground was given 

 a dose of ground lime, and broad beans were sown between the 

 bushes where they were badly infected. 



In 1906 the big bud appeared diminished. Only one hundred 

 bushes were uprooted, and the remainder were carefully hand-picked 

 twice over for big bud. The crop was a very poor one. The West 

 plantation establishing a record of failure by producing only 15 cwts. of 

 fruit, and very little young wood was made. 



In 1907 at the time of writing the disease is far worse than it 

 has ever been before. I was considering whether it would not be 

 better to uproot the whole of the West plantation, when the sulphur 

 and lime treatment was brought to my notice. 



REPORT ON BLACK CURRANT PLANTATIONS. 



TREATMENT FOR u BIG BUD" IN BLACK CURRANT PLANTATIONS. 



East Plantation, i^ acres. | f 2,500 plants. 



West Plantation, 2 acres. ] \ 3^5 plants. 



The East plantation has been planted four years. The bushes are 

 at full bearing, and, for the most part, well grown, but the centre 

 portion is badly affected with u Big Bud," and the outer rows to a 

 lesser degree. 



The West plantation, planted about eight years, is very badly 

 affected over the whole of the low-lying portion, and very slightly on 

 the brae, where the bushes are very well grown, and have proved 

 consistently good croppers. 



East Plantation. ist application, April 8th and 9th, 1907. All 

 infected bushes dusted with 2 parts flowers of sulphur to i part of 

 ground lime. Coronette Knapsack Sprayer used. 



Weather conditions. 8th. Bushes wet with rain in morning, fine 

 afterwards. Dusting continued until 3 p.m., when bushes dried. 



9th. Wet night. Showery during day. Dusting continued until 

 afternoon when wind dried bushes. 



West Plantation. ist application, April 9th and loth, 1907. 

 Infected bushes dusted as in East plantation. 



Weather on loth, showery, with East wind all day. Dusting 

 carried on until 5 p.m. 



At date of writing (loth April,) none of the swollen buds appear 

 to have burst. Most of the other buds are putting out leaves. 



