84 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



striated and furnished with eye-like depressions. 

 The snout is short and stout. The grub is fat, 

 legless, dirty-white, and feeds on the roots of 

 various plants, while the perfect weevil is 

 destructive to the leaves and other parts of 

 Vines, Raspberries, and Peas, doing great 

 harm when numerous. 



Remedies. — The perfect weevils may be 

 found from the latter part of April onwards, 

 and have the same habits as the Black Vine 

 Weevil, which see for remedies when Vines 

 under glass are attacked. In the case of Rasp- 

 berries long narrow trays should be con- • 

 structed, covered with moist tar, and carried 

 along between the rows by men or boys, 

 so that while one carries a tray another should 

 carry a lantern, and tap or shake the canes over 

 the trays, when the weevils will drop into the 

 same and be held fast by the tar. This should 

 be done after darkness sets in, as they only feed 

 by night and hide under clods by day. The 

 operation should be repeated several nights in 

 succession until the weevils get scarce. Sweep- 

 ing-nets might also be employed to brush along 

 the rows of Raspberries and Peas to collect the 

 weevils after nightfall 



Common Flat-body Moth (Depressaria 

 apphtnn). — This small moth has the body de- 

 pressed, and measures somewhat under an inch 

 in expanse, and has the fore-wings of a reddish- 

 brown, clouded with a dusky hue, and having 

 some black and white markings. The slender 

 caterpillar is green, with a darker line on the 

 back, and lives in the folded leaves of various 

 umbellifers, including the Carrot and Parsnip, 

 during June and July, 



Remedies. — The solitary wasps prey largely 

 upon the caterpillars, constituting a natural 

 check. When, however, they become trouble- 

 some, the plants may be shaken or agitated 

 with a stick to cause the caterpillars to drop, 

 when a good dusting of lime and soot may be 

 given to prevent their getting up again. Um- 

 belliferous weeds should not be permitted to 

 grow in the neighbourhood of Carrots and 

 Parsnips, otherwise the moths would be likely 

 to multiply and prove troublesome. 



Currant Aphis (Myzus Ribis). — The wing- 

 less females of this insect are bright -yellow, 

 with a double row of green spots on the back, 

 furnished with pin-headed hairs. They infest 

 the under surface of the leaves of Red and 

 Black Currants. 



Remedies. — Where troublesome, this aphis 

 may be destroyed by washing the under side 

 of the leaves with the garden engine, using a 



mixture of soft soap and tobacco-water, made 

 by dissolving 15 lbs. of the former in 9 gallons 

 of water, to which the juice of \ lb, of tobacco 



Fig. 103.— Currant Aphis (Myzus Ribis). 

 a, Male, b, Apterous female, c, Winged female. 



has been added; to each gallon of the mixture 

 add 36 gallons of water, and apply the liquid 

 to the bushes rather forcibly. 



Diamond -back Moth (Plutella Crucifer- 

 arum). — The perfect moth measures only about 

 7 h lines across the fore-wings, which are grayish- 

 brown with darker markings, and having a 

 whitish-yellow, three-lobed band along the inner 

 edge. The caterpillars are J inch long when full 

 grown, tapering to each end, and vary from yel- 

 lowish to apple-green according to age. There 



Fij?. 104.— Diamond-back Moth [Plutella Cruciferarum). 

 1. Caterpillar. 2. Eggs. 3. Moth (all natural size). 4, 5. Moth (magnified),. 

 at rest and flying. 



are two broods in a season, namely, in June and 

 July, and again in September. They infest many 

 crucifers, but particularly Turnips and Cabbages, 

 the leaves of which they eat away to the ribs, 

 working from the under side. 



Remedies. — A dusting of 3 parts of soot and 

 1 of lime, mixed and finely powdered, has been 

 found beneficial. Before doing so, it would 

 be advisable to. make a light broom of slender 

 twigs, and brush along the lines of Turnips or 

 Cabbages to knock down the caterpillars, then 

 a boy might follow behind and apply the mix- 

 ture, dusting it over the plants and between the 

 lines. Heavy rains greatly injure the cater- 

 pillars, while they start the plants growing; 

 water might therefore be applied with the 



