67 



green, and there are formed by it a number of tangled white threads. 

 In about another week a third moult leads to the pupal stage. In this 

 the wing-buds are A^ery prominent, and the tips of the antennae and 

 the eyes become black. Like the larva, the pupa passes out the same 

 oily globules and waxy white or blue threads. Those kept under 

 observation on a tree hatched on the first of June, and they remained 

 until the end of the month. The adults pass a monotonous life on the 

 apple trees. I have also found great numbers of this pest in the 

 winged stage by beating hawthorn hedges in the neighborhood of 

 infested orchards. A well-known fruit grower in Kent tells me this 

 pest also attacks the buds of his cobnuts and filberts. It will thus be 

 seen that there are two ways in which this pest may reach America. 

 Taschenberg inclines to the belief that there is a second brood, but I 

 have been unable to trace one in Great Britain, and Schmidberger 

 does not hint at it. The pest has certainly been distributed about 

 England with infested nursery stock, and I see no reason why T it should 

 not find its way to the American Continent and the British colonies. 

 The only preventive we find of any use is spraying with quassia and 

 soft soap as soon as the buds commence to swell and the larvae are 

 seen to be coming from the eggs. This must be done repeatedly, as 

 the brood lasts some time in hatching out. Late autumnal washing 

 with the usual paraffin emulsion I have found kills the adults and so 

 prevents egg laying. We usually use 6 to 8 pounds of soft soap, 8 

 pounds of boiled quassia chips to the 100 gallons of soft water. 



Carbolic, at the rate of 2 to 3 gallons to 100 gallons of soft water, 

 in which is dissolved 6 pounds of soft soap, has also been found bene- 

 ficial, and winter washing with caustic alkali wash has given relief. 



THE CURRANT BUD MITE. 



(Eriophyes ribis Nalepa.) 



In many districts of Great Britain black currant growing is being 

 stamped out by the enormous increase of the black currant mite (Erio^ 

 phyes ribis), formerly known as JPhytoptus ribis of Nalepa, This mite 

 produces the disease known as big bud in black currants. It has prac- 

 tically invaded the whole of Kent, and scarcely a plantation is to be 

 found free from this acarus, acres and acres being grubbed up in conse- 

 quence. There are, nevertheless, regions free from Eriojphyes ribis, 

 notably the north of Ireland, in Armagh and County Down. In Eng- 

 land Northumberland is free; Derbyshire, and a few other counties 

 comparatively so. On the Continent Holland is particularly invaded. 

 The disease has been mainly spread by means of infested cuttings and 

 young bushes. At one time it was thought in this country that the 

 swollen buds were natural, and that they showed strength, and in this 

 way big budded plants were sent out in preference to those with normal 



