914 
Annual Report of New York 
CURRANT-WORM• REMEDIES PROPOSED BT MR. CURTIS. 
garden near London in one season; but in the neighborhood of 
Blandford last year, the second attack of the Gooseberry bushes in 
July and August was, if possible, more devastating than the first. 
Having defoliated a bush, leaving nothing of the foliage excepting 
the footstalk and sometimes a portion of the main rib, and being 
arrived at maturity, they cast their skins again and then lose all 
their black spots, becoming of a uniform pale green with two little 
black dots on the head, the spaces behind it and towards the tail 
retaining the yellow tint. After resting awhile they, descend into 
the earth, and spin a yellow-brown cocoon, formed of silk and 
gluten of so thick a texture that it is impervious. From these the 
summer broods of flies come up in less than three weeks, but the 
autumnal ones remain in them, curled up in the larva state, until 
the following spring, when they change to pupae, in time to pro¬ 
duce flies as the currant and gooseberry trees are coming into 
leaf. 
“ There are two modes of proceeding to rid our gardens of this 
terrible scourge: to catch the Hies, or search for the eggs and cut 
off the infested leaves, is scarcely practicable; our plan is, there¬ 
fore, to look for the caterpillars; for small as they are at first, they 
are easily detected by the perforated leaves; and when half grown 
they are visible enough, and after that period they commit the 
greatest havoc, having inordinate appetites, and scarcely ceasing 
from their gluttony except when their jackets become so tight that 
they are obliged to change. Hand-picking is, therefore, attended 
with great success in small gardens, but in plantations it is easiei 
to sprinkle strong lime-water, as it is termed, over the leaves, which 
will destroy the caterpillar; or syringe the bushes well, and then 
dust them with quick lime, having previously laid a good quantity 
round the stem to prevent their re-ascending the bush; it is said 
also that water heated to 140° Fahrenheit, and thrown forcibly 
upon the bushes, through the rose of an engine or watering-pot, 
will kill the larvae, without injuring the tendercst leaves on the 
bushes. The other method alluded to is, to destroy the pupae; 
and this seems to be best effected by scraping away the earth from 
the roots early in the spring, and drawing it into a deep trench 
between the bushes, covering it over and tramping it well down. 
If boiling hot water be used, either in autumn or spring, to kill 
the pupa;, it should be put upon the earth when it is quite dry; 
the soil must be lifted two inches, and returned as soon as the 
