130 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



It is of no use to dig the affected bushes up and throw them 



on one side ; the only 

 remedy is to carefully 

 and systematically 

 pick the galls off in, 

 say, March or April 

 and then religiously 

 burn them. If com- 

 bined action were 

 taken by growers 

 generally, there might 

 be a chance of lessen- 

 ing this pest, which 

 is causing such loss to 

 the growers in Kent. 



I had the pleasure 

 of discovering the 

 minute hymenopterous 

 insect whose maggot 

 Fig. 22. feeds upon these Mites. 



I have bred a large 

 number of these useful " blessings " from Currant galls, and 

 I hold to the opinion 

 which I expressed long 

 years ago, viz., that in 

 the hands of competent 

 men these parasites 

 might be bred in cap- 

 tivity in thousands. 1 

 suggested this plan in the 

 case of the Hessian Fly 

 parasite, and offered to 

 send a number to the late 

 Professor Riley (Govern- 

 ment Entomologist of the 

 United States of America) 

 to try and introduce our 

 British parasite ( Semio- 

 tellus nigripes) into the 

 United States. I need scarcely say 



Fig. 23. 



that my offer was inime- 



