EXPERIMENTS OX THE BLACK-CURRAXT GALL-MITE. 15 



The following opinions are extracted from the Journal of 

 Horticulture, of November yth, I4th, and 28th, 1907 : 



" In the early summer I wrote to you about the lime and sulphur 

 remedy for the Black Currant mite . . and expressed a wish that those 

 who tried it would record the results of their experiments in our 

 Journal this autumn. As this is a serious pest, I trust others besides 

 myself will respond. . . Although we have some very bad bushes here, 

 the majority are only partly affected, and these are nearly all dusted 

 over with the mixture (two parts sulphur, one part lime) once during 

 the last week of March and the third week in April. 



After the last application I noticed many of the leaves dropped 

 (these were not the youngest), and some of the flowers were burnt. 

 This was rather discouraging, as there was promise of a splendid crop 

 of fruit, and I did not want to lose it. I therefore only treated a certain 

 number of bushes with the last application in May, the mixture being 

 altered in its proportions to three parts of sulphur and one part lime. 

 Even this seemed too strong, for many more leaves fell off and the fruit 

 bunches were spoilt, which gave the bushes a very sickly appearance. 

 All the bushes have been examined during the last week, and I find that 

 those which received two dustings only are very little better than those 

 which have not been done, but those that received a third dressing are 

 quite free from mite as far as can be seen by the naked eye, and have 

 quite recovered from the check which they received. From these 

 results it would seem that only the third application were necessary, but 

 I should say that it is safer to give at least two, as a late season may 

 make a difference to the exodus of the mites from the old buds. 



L.F.D." 



" After reading ' L.F.D.'s ' letter in last week's Journal on the 

 results of his sulphur and lime treatment for the eradication of the 

 above-named pest, I went and examined our bushes here, which were 

 similarly treated, and I am exceedingly pleased to say, I could not 

 detect any sign of the mite. Whether there will be any development 

 later I am not able to say ; but usually at this season of the year it is 

 only too easily seen. Unlike your correspondent, I found no injury to 

 foliage, flower, or fruit after the third treatment, although the currants 

 were in full bloom at the time. The particulars and the prescribed 

 conditions which appeared in the garden papers I could not, at the time, 

 exactly carry out (i part unslaked lime, ground fine, to 2 of sulphur, 

 was recommended). I had to use air-slaked lime, instead of the quick, 

 to 2 of sulphur. This was applied first, at the end of March ; second, 

 middle of April ; third and last, the first week in May. My immunity 

 from burning I attribute to using air-slaked lime with the sulphur. 

 Our powder was applied with bellows. 



J. EASTER, Nostell Priory Gardens." 



