270 



THE CHERRY. 



The Cherry-tree is not peculiarly liable to the 

 attacks of insects. Its principal enemies are the 

 Thrush and Blackhird, who annually claim a few 

 Cherries in payment for their cheerful songs, and 

 for the pains which they bestow in clearing our 

 gardens of snails and other vermin. One insect, 

 however {Acarus telariiis), \i\ovn\ to gardeners 

 as the Red Spider, occasionally does considerable 

 injury. It has eight legs ; its colour varies from 

 yellowish to brown and reddish, and on each side 

 of the back is a blackish spot. It is more fre- 

 quent in the green-house than the open air. It 

 spins a sort of web over the leaves, particularly 

 on the under surface, and sucks the juice of the 

 plants with its proboscis, completely enfeebling 

 them, and stripping them of their leaves. The 

 plants which it mostly attacks in the open air are 

 the Kidney-bean, the Lime, and the Cherry. 



Various remedies have been prescribed, which 

 may easily be carried into effect in the green- 

 house and hot-house ; but in the open air, the 

 only practicable preventive is to keep the tree 

 in a healthy state, vrhen the Spider will rarely 

 touch it. 



