138 Report oF THE DEPARTMENT OF BoTANY OF THE 
no practical difference between the sprayed and unsprayed 
plants.” As far as they go, the results of this experiment are 
unfavorable to the control of currant anthracnose by spraying. : 
Currant growers in the Hudson Valley fully realize the impor- 
tance of protecting their plants against the ravages of currant 
worms?! which strip the bushes of their leaves in a surprisingly 
short time. Of late years they have abandoned the use of helle- 
bore, the standard remedy for currant worms, and substituted 
for it Bordeaux mixture containing Paris green, green arsenoid 
or some other arsenical poison. Promptly upon the first appear- 
ance of the 'worms the bushes are given a thorough spraying 
with the poisoned Bordeaux mixture. If the work is well done, 
and rains not too frequent, a single application suffices for the 
season. Whereas, if hellebore is used it is usually necessary to 
make two or more applications, because there are generally two 
and sometimes three broods of worms during the season and the 
~T wo distinct species of currant worms occur in the Hudson Valley, 
which not only differ in appearance but also in habits. The one generally 
known as the currant span-worm, called gooseberry span-worm in some 
sections (Diastictis ribearia), is single brooded; while the imported currant- 
worm or currant saw-fly (Vematus ventricosus), has two broods each year. 
The larva of the first is a caterpillar. They appear early, sometimes 
before the currant leaves are even fairly expanded. They grow rapidly 
and feed voraciously. By the last of May or first of June they are full 
grown and stop feeding. At this time they are about one inch long, of 
a bright yellow color, marked with white lines on the sides together with 
numerous black spots and dots. They can also be distinguished from the 
imported currant-worm by their habit of looping the body when they 
travel. These worms leave the bushes about the first of June and go into 
the ground where they change to the chrysalis form. Early in July they 
issue as adult moths or millers and can be seen flying over the fields 
during July and part of August. In color the adult moth is pale yellow 
with dusky spots or bands on the wings. Seen at a distance it could 
easily be mistaken for the butterfly of the cabbage-worm flying over the 
currant fields. The eggs are deposited on the branches of the currants 
and do not hatch until the following spring. 
The imported currant-worm is the slug-like caterpillar of a saw-fly. 
The fiies appear about the time the span-worm hatches from the egg. 
They pair first, then lay their eggs upon the underside of the currant 
leaves, usually along the larger veins. The eggs hatch a week or ten 
days after being deposited. Owing to the time required for laying and 
hatching the eggs, the worms do not appear until one or two weeks after 
the span-worm has commenced feeding. The larvee of the saw-fly reach 
