INJURIOUS INSECTS AND DISEASES 285 



the whole of the foliage will be distorted and crumpled out of shape and 

 the fruit will be blighted. Where much damage is being caused, it is a good 

 plan to break off the leaves and burn them. In dry weather plentiful waterings, 

 so as to keep up good growth of the foliage, are a great check to aphis increase. 



Currant Gall-mite {Phytoptus ribis). — The deformed bud-growths, which 

 for many years have been a source of great trouble to black-currant growers, 

 are caused by an exceedingly minute mite, too small to be seen by the naked 

 eye, which propagates in the buds and causes an unnaturally large development 

 of these into spherical green knobs, formed outside of greenish scales or abortive 

 leaves folding over each other, and inside of the various parts which would 

 gradually have developed into leaves, flowers, and fruit, but are ruined by the action 

 of the mites. These knobs may be found forming during the winter, while the 

 healthy buds are still of the natural shape, and in January will have attained to 

 as much as a quarter of an inch in diameter, and containing within them 

 numbers of the mites and some eggs. 



Prevention and Remedy. — The method which is most frequently tried is 

 breaking off the galled buds and burning them, and though in this way many 

 of the mites are got rid of which would have otherwise spread infestation, yet 

 the plan is very far from answering as could be wished. Among treatment from 

 which some amount of good resulted was a dressing of 2 lbs. sulphur and 2 lbs. 

 lime, boiled together in three gallons of water, further diluted at the rate of 

 two or three pints to a large pail of water, and applied with a syringe to the 

 infested bushes. 



GOOSEBERRY 



The gooseberry when planted in suitable soil is peculiarly free from disease, 

 but several insect pests are very troublesome. Among others may be mentioned 

 the magpie moth {Abraxas grossulariata), dot moth {Mamestra persicaria), goose- 

 berry and ivy red spider [Bryobia pratiosa), gooseberry and currant sawfly 

 (Nematus Rihesii), and the gooseberry and currant scale {Lecanium ribis). The 

 greatest amount of damage is probably done by the magpie moth and the saw- 

 fly caterpillar. The pretty butterfly-like magpie moth is one of the most widely 

 distributed garden leafage infestors. The common garden food plants of the 

 caterpillars are gooseberry, red and white, and sometimes black currant, and 

 the foliage of apricot and pear is also attacked. 



Prevention and Remedy. — The habit of the caterpillars of wintering in 

 leaves (spun together) still hanging on the bushes, or sometimes lying among 

 any shelter on the ground beneath, must be taken advantage of to get rid 

 of the pest. At pruning time the bushes should be carefully gone over to 

 make sure that there are no leaves which may hold a caterpillar. When 

 currant bushes are trained on walls search is especially requisite. The longer 

 the pruning can be deferred the better. Pruning and dressing under the 

 bushes should not take place until after the fall of the leaves. All the 

 pruning and possibly infested rubbish from beneath the bushes should be 

 collected and burnt. Flowers of sulphur dusted on the leaves when the dew is 



