THE AMERICAN ENTOMOLOGIST. 



[Fig, 28. 



twig in which it is set (Fig. 32). This 

 weakens the canes, and they are often 

 broken off by the wind. 

 This injury does not 

 amount to much, but 

 the perfect insect has a 

 very bad habit of cut- 

 ting off leaves in sum- 

 mer; and sometimes ex- 

 tends its mischievous 

 work to the grape-vine, 

 trimmingoff both leaves 

 and fruit, working at 

 night when perfectly 

 safe from observation or 

 molestation. One of my 

 correspondents in Tex- 

 as wrote me, a few years 

 ago, that one of these 

 pests would completely 

 defoliate a young grape- 

 vine in a single night, 

 and he was a long time 

 in discerning the suc- 



Gall produced by Agrilus CCSSful UOCtumal prUU- 

 ruficolhs (after Riley). ^^^ ^^^ ^^j^^^ disCOVCrcd 



he was at a loss how to circumvent it. De- 

 stroying the eggs is the only way I know 

 of fighting this insect. 



The Currant and Gooseberry. 



After two or three centuries of almost 

 [Fig. 29.] entire exemption from noxious 

 insects, it is no wonder that our 

 people came to look upon the 

 Currant as a fruit for everybody, 

 and one that could be raised in 

 almost any corner of the garden 

 without care or cultivation ; but 

 all at once and without warning, 

 not only did its ancient enemy 

 from the other side of the At- 

 lantic appear in this country and 

 commence its destructive work, 

 but several native species of in- 

 sects joined in making havoc wath 

 our Currant and Gooseberry 

 L^j7^^of.^g^|- bushes. First, the Imported 

 (after Riley). Currant Womi {Nematus ventri- 

 cosus King, Fig. 33) made its appearance 

 about Rochester, New York, in 1857; then 



it was soon discovered that we had a 

 Gooseberry span-worm {Eujitchia nbcraria, 

 Fitch), the former being the larva of a four- 

 winged fly, and the latter [Fig. .30.] 

 the caterpillar of a small 

 moth. These two species 

 spread with great rapidity, 

 and seemed for a while to 

 defy all the usual insecti- 

 cides and other methods of 

 destruction. Then the late 

 Mr. Walsh of Illinois dis- 



Snowy Tree-cricket, 



covered a native saw-fly, male. 



the Pristiphora grossula?'iie, which was 

 also double-brooded like its European 

 congener, and fed upon the Currant and 



[Fig. 31.] 



Snowy Tree-cricket, female. 



Gooseberry, rather preferring the latter. 

 With these three insects ; with a borer or 

 two that perforates the stems of the plants, 

 and several species of [Fig. 32.] 



plant-lice infesting 

 leaves, roots, and green 

 shoots, the cultivators 

 of the Currant and 

 Gooseberry have had x 

 all they could do to ^ 

 keep their plants alive, ci 

 and obtain even a mod- 

 erate crop of fruit. As 

 all these Currant and 

 Gooseberry pests have 

 been very fully de- 

 scribed in the writings 

 of Fitch, Walsh, and 

 Prof. Riley, I will not 

 detain you by repeat- 

 ing any part of the 

 same, but merely say 

 that for the different 

 species feeding on the <E i 

 leaves, nothing has egg.s of Snowv tree- 



with 



punctures ; b, section of 

 same ; c, egg enlarged ; d^ 



in the way of destroy g,a„uiat,ons at t.p, 

 ing them than pow- i^'g^'y^"'"g^<i(^f'«'-R''«y>- 

 dered white hellebore. A few dustings 



