24 
CHERRY. 
of the Gooseberry and Apple Sawfly, and there spin cocoons, from 
which the Sawfly, unless double-brooded, comes up in the next season. 
This attack is not often reported, hut I was favoured with two 
communications regarding it during last season. One was from 
Mr. C. de L. Faunce de Laune, of Sharsted Court, Sittingbourne, 
mentioning the great damage that caterpillars of the above kind were 
then doing by eating the leaves of his young Cherry trees, leaving 
nothing but the fibre. The specimen enclosed was of considerable 
interest, for it arrived as a Leech or Slug-like grub, bottle-green in 
colour, slimy, and repulsive,—in fact, altogether a characteristic 
specimen of these injurious larvfe as commonly known. Shortly, 
however, it passed to the final moult, in which the Slugworms are not 
so often noticed; it slipped off its coat and appeared as a bright 
orange-coloured caterpillar, dry, wrinkled, and many-footed. 
On Sept. 11 tli I was favoured by Mr. Vaughan Pendred, with 
specimens of a grub, by which he mentioned the Pear trees in his 
garden at Streatham had been attacked for three successive years, 
these being aptly described “ as caterpillars more like small Leeches 
than anything else,” and which eat the whole upper surface of 
the leaf. 
Three years ago a very few appeared, but these were so few that 
no notice was taken of them. Last year they were more numerous, 
and this year (1888) they extended their ravages to Plum and Cherry 
trees. 
The caterpillars are described as about three-eighths of an inch 
long, slimy and repulsive, black above, dark green below ; syringing 
with salt and water had no effect upon them, neither had strong 
tobacco-water. 
The most certain measure of prevention of attack of these Slug- 
worms is (as with Gooseberry Sawfly) just to see how deep the cocoons 
are lying beneath the infested trees, and then skim off the surface to 
this depth, and have the infested soil destroyed. This is a thoroughly 
good preventive of future attack. If the rootlets are near the top 
still light pricking of the surface and removal will do good. 
"When the Sawflies are observed on the trees it is a good plan to 
shake them down when they are quiet, in the morning or evening, on 
to tarred boards or tarred brown 'paper. 
When the Slugworms themselves are at their work of destruction 
they may be got rid of to a great extent by dredging caustic lime on 
them, if the application is repeated a few times at short intervals. If it 
is done once only the Slugworm appears little injured, for it can moult 
off its coat with the dressing thereon, but it cannot keep repeating the 
operation ; therefore repetition of the application kills it. 
Solutions of hellebore, tobacco-water, and lime-water are variously 
