Insects, etc., Injurious to the Gooseberry. 283 



acres close to where it was first, and they were heavily washed with 

 Little's fluid sheep-dip ; they do not appear to have suffered from it ; 

 it was used strong (one to seventy)." Later information sent showed 

 that this damage was undoubtedly due to slugs, Mr. Eiley stating 

 that " careful examination at night revealed the fact that slugs were 

 the culprits. We have caught them red-handed. In order to make 

 climbing easy for them, we cut off' branches of the gooseberries, and 

 stuck them in the ground at night. Several slugs were soon seen 

 eating the calyces, as described, and they were found in quantity 

 under most bushes at night. Had we no foxes, I should try 500 

 ducks to clear them off." 



A similar attack was reported in 1907 from near Canterbury, and 

 slugs were caught eating the calyces at night at Wye in the same 

 year. 



There is no doubt that the employment of ducks is one of the 

 best ways of ridding a plantation of such pests. It would be quite 

 possible, even with foxes present, to use them during wet weather in 

 daytime, when the slugs would be on the move. 



This has been done in cases of slug attack in hop gardens with 

 good results. 



There does not seem to have been any previous notice of these 

 molhisca doing harm in this way. 



The attacked blossoms sent showed very characteristic signs of 

 damage ; the eating away of the base of the calyx causes shrivelling, 

 which might be mistaken for frost-bite if not examined, but the work 

 of the slug can easily be detected if looked for. 



The calyx itself in many cases, as seen in the figure, is eaten and 

 turns brown. Sparrows have been accused of doing this, but their 

 work can at once be detected by the debris of calyces found on the 

 ground beneath the bushes. 



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