78 
BLACK CURRANT. 
much too small to be seen by the naked eye, and is of the shape 
figured p. 77, that is, cylindrical, rather smaller towards the tail 
extremity, and furnished with only two pairs of legs, placed at the 
fore part of the body. It has also some large strong bristles, which 
may help it in movement. Phytopti multiply from eggs, and are the 
same shape and possess the same number of legs throughout their 
lives. They live together in large numbers, and in the case of the 
Black Currant do damage by causing a swollen growth of the buds, 
which ends in causing them to prove abortive. The presence of 
attack may very easily be known by the appearance of these buds, 
which are spherical or variously swollen or distorted; sometimes they 
are few in number, and the growth of the shoot on which they are 
placed is not distorted; sometimes as many as six or seven swollen 
buds may be found on about three inches of shoot. 
The two following observations give a very clear description of the 
main points of the Phytoptus attack, and also of the great difficulty of 
getting rid of it when once it has fairly taken possession. 
The following note was sent me on the 15tli of March, by Mr. W. 
James Le Tall, from Hackentliorpe, West Sheffield. 
“ I have been advised to ask if anything is known of an insect 
which infests Black Currants and destroys their power of fruit-bearing, 
the buds of the infested trees being very much enlarged in spring, and 
never bursting forth into buds and blooms at the usual time. If the 
disease once gets into a plantation of Black Currants, it passes from 
tree to tree till all are infected, and from being a fruitful plantation it 
becomes in three or four years almost fruitless. At this period of the 
year the buds of the infested trees show unnatural vigour. An insect at 
this time of the year is also found plentifully in the infested buds; 
and I should be glad to know if anything is known of its life-history. 
To me it appears about from l-80th to 1-100th of an inch long, and if 
seen with a half-inch object-glass it appears to have four legs at what 
I take to be its anterior part, and the body is pyriform, with, at the 
smaller end, some arrangement by which it seems to be able to affix 
itself after moving wth its four legs.” 
“No cure is known for the disease here but destroying the infested 
trees. 
“ This disease I have noticed for fifteen years, but now it is very 
much more prevalent, and threatens to destroy the Black Currant 
crop in this vicinity.” 
Specimens of remarkably bad Phytoptus attack were sent me on the 
26th of May, from Midway Paynton, Cheshire, by Mr. E. Dowlen, 
with the observation,— “ Enclosed are some branches of Black 
Currant, in which the leaf-buds are all ruined owing to the presence 
in them of small white grubs. In this district, during the last few 
