918 
Annual Report of New York 
CURRANT-WORM. OTHER EARLY NOTICE8 OP IT. 
tive to the caterpillars, while the foliage has sustained no injury. 
The practice of striking the stem of the bush suddenly with a mal¬ 
let, so as to cause the caterpillars to fall to the ground, where they 
may be bruised to death with the back of the spade or trodden 
under foot, is sometimes attended with much injury to the stem 
and bark of the tree. If the insects are not too numerous a good 
deal can be done by hand-picking.” 
Thus, on its first appearance, this worm was so plainly announced 
and shown to be a new and different species from the measure 
worm of the currant moth, that some of the correspondents of the 
agricultural periodicals are scarcely excusable for having after¬ 
wards confounded them together. 
The next notice of this insect appeared in the same newspaper, 
May 28th of the following year, saying “ It is only two years since 
our attention was first attracted to this insect. How long ago it 
was first seen in the country, we catfnot say.” And the descrip¬ 
tion given the preceding year is repeated. This statement, with 
that of the Genesee Fanner —that there was no such insect in that 
vicinity in February 1857—strongly indicates the spring of 1857 
as the time of its first appearance in Rochester. 
The Rural New Yorker of August 4th, 1860 (vol. xi, p. 247), in 
a general article upon the currant, its varieties, mode of culture, 
&c., speaks as follows of this insect: “The currant is subject to no 
enemies or diseases of particular importance, except the Currant 
Caterpillar , which for four or five years past has caused great 
trouble and anxiety to the growers of this fruit, and a partial or 
total loss of the crop, and in some cases of the plants. This insect 
is supposed to be the same as that which is known in England as 
the grub of the Goosebei'ry Saw-fly. It is thought to have been 
imported from Europe with gooseberry plants. Rochester seems 
to be the centre of its operations, and in many places fifteen or 
twenty miles distant it is unknown. Mr. Hoag, of Lockport, 
stated at the last meeting of the Fruit Growers’ Society, that he 
saw a few on his plants, for the first time, the present season. 
Their spread would no doubt be checked, if every one, on its first 
appearance, would make a diligent effort for this purpose; but 
where ft becomes numerous it is, to say the least, very difficult to 
save the plants from destruction. They commenco their ravages 
soon after the young leaves appear, and as a new brood of insects 
appear every two or three weeks, the cultivator generally becomes 
