126 GARDENING FOR ALL. 
THRIPS 
are very partial to the foliage of azaleas, vines, orchids, &c., 
and should not receive any quarter. Frequent and timely 
fumigations are very beneficial, and the washes advised for 
aphis will suffice to destroy thrips. 
BLACK CURRANT MITE.—(Phytoptis). 
This mite infests and destroys the buds of black currants; 
and, although the insect is scarcely visible to the naked eye, 
its presence is easily detected during the winter months by 
the abnormally large appearance of the buds upon the shoots. 
These buds are large and round, and to the uninitiated, 
appear as though they were about to yield an extra large crop 
of fruit; but, as a matter of fact, little or no growth comes 
from these buds, for the simple reason that the mites have 
been feeding upon the embryo leaves and flowers. 
Where bushes are only slightly affected the mite may be 
eradicated by carefully picking off and burning all affected 
buds. Spraying during the spring months with the emulsion 
of soft soap and petroleum will destroy many mites as they 
descend to the ground. The same should be done in autumn 
after the fruit is gathered and about the fall of the leaf, when 
they are ascending the trees. In cases where the plantations 
are large and the attack very bad, time and money will be 
saved by destroying and burning the plantation and cropping 
the ground with something else for a few years. 
THE GOOSEBERRY AND CURRANT SAWFLY. 
This sawfly emerges from the chrysalis state about the 
end of March or beginning of April. Eggs are laid, which 
hatch in a week or ten days, and the young caterpillars 
commence feeding upon the tender leaves where they were 
hatched, and feed until full grown. They then descend to the 
soil, change into a chrysalis, and emerge again the perfect fly 
during the summer; our trees are thus liable to two attacks 
during the season. 
Spraying with Paris green at the rate of one ounce to 
twelve gallons of water has been found to rid the trees entirely 
of them. Spraying with Hellebone powder has also been found 
effective, but more expensive. A deadly mixture may also 
