THE HOSE AND ITS CULTUEE. 



34i 



but their super-abundance. For as each moth in 

 due season brings forth its woi-m, grub, or cater- 

 pillar, and the majority of these feed on Roso- 

 leaves, petals, or flowers, or wood-buds, and as the 

 species and varieties of moths are legion, it follows 

 that almost each bud has its worm, and at times a 

 good many of them have two, and the writer has 

 seen even thi-ee or more in one bud. Moat of the 

 ■worms and caterpillars are 'cute and wary, and the 

 hunting of them with success, so as to make a full 

 bag, needs great prudence and dexterity. The 

 moths even in their grubhood are quick to hear, see, 

 calculate chances, bolt 

 suddenly, lie at ease on 

 their bed, hug it closely, 

 assume its colour, roU 

 themselves up tightly in 

 a leaf, take a wild leap 

 for life and safety to the 

 ground, hide in the 

 long grass or under the 

 dods, or heave them- 

 selves off their feeding- 

 grounds with a line till 

 the season of danger is 

 overpast. One learns to 

 respect such foes as 

 one notes these and 

 other traits of marvel- 

 lous instinct ; rapid 

 as thought in action, 

 and often, from the 

 Hosarian's point of 

 view, all too efficient 

 in saving their lives. 

 True, they are small, 

 but their numbers, re- 

 sources, and skill raise them to the rank of foes 

 "worthy of the Hosarian's steel, or rather hi? fingers. 

 For really our best and surest receipt against the 

 grubs and caterpillars is the very old one of catching 

 them alive. A good deal may be done to reduce 

 their numbers by catching- the moths that lay the 

 eggs, that hatch the grubs, that devour the Roses. 

 And yet more may be accomplished by rooting out, or 

 smearing in, or destroying the pupae or chrysalides in 

 their lairs. Yet the Hosarian's best chances of offen- 

 sive war often lie among the grubs and caterpillars. 

 Pick them off by hand, tap them off by sudden 

 vibrations on to the grovmd or into sheets, and de- 

 stroy them. Repeat the process day by day, and 

 there ■will soon be few or none left. 



Of the many worms in the bud among Roses, 

 perhaps the very "worst is the grub of the Bell 

 Moth, Spilonota agimna. This is so very grub- 

 looking that it hardly deserves the name of eater- 



Fig. 50.— Tortrix Bergmanmana and larva. 



pillar. It has a black head with a black plate of 

 mail behind it, as if to strengthen its head in its de- 

 structive work of scooping out the centres, or making 

 tracks through Rose-buds. The body is of a dirty- 

 brown colour, with a rough akin, its centre being 

 larger than either end, a form that arms it with 

 very great force and power. This moth is small 

 for the size of the grub, being less than an inch 

 across. It is of an ashy-white colour, with a dark 

 brown patch on the upper wing, just against the 

 body. The chrysalis is pale brown, and the cocoon 

 is carefully laid up in a Rose-leaf or leaves. Unfor- 

 tunately the grubs ap- 

 pear early — that is, in 

 April, almost before 

 either leaves or flower- 

 buds are ready for them. 

 This enables them to 

 work with a, maximum 

 force of destruction, 

 the leaves being small 

 as well as tender, and 

 not a few blossom-buds 

 often pierced through by 

 them and other cater- 

 pillars before they are 

 half formed. Of course, 

 once pierced by even 

 such a small worm, the 

 blossom is WTecked be- 

 yond recovery. Thechry. 

 salis is not of long dura- 

 tion, as the moths appear 

 in June, when war should 

 be waged against them 

 by catching them with 

 nets, or other methods. 

 Another almost equally destructive variety of 

 worm in the bud is the caterpillar of Tortrix 

 pyrastiana. The caterpillar of this appears nearly a 

 month later than the foregoing, and continues to 

 work destruction throughout June. It mostly also 

 joins the leaves together, to form its cocoon in. 

 The caterpillar is greenish-brown, very active, and 

 when disturbed immediately suspends itself on a 

 thread. 



Tortrix riieana is vei-y much like pyrastiana, only 

 darker in colour, and it continues much longer in 

 the grub state, and mostly rolls itself in one leaf 

 instead of two. 



Tortrix Bergmanniana (Fig. 50). — This is emphati- 

 cally the Rose leaf -roller. Others roU up the leaves in 

 ones or twos, this small caterpillar not seldom rolls 

 them into scrolls, or rolls up every leaf on a branch 

 or plant. It seems to turn the leaves up or par- 

 tially over with a semi-glutinous thread, in order the 



