Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-08-13
TBeDermont 4Banit.
9RATTLEBORO:
FRIDAY EVENING, AUGUST 10, 1875.


prove unacceptable to you and some of
the readers of your Journal. Now in my
seventy-second year, yet l am only re-
cent amateur in the cultivation of the cur
rant and other fruits. But this investga-
ton has been persisted in for the space of
eight years, until 1 am perfectly satisfied
that what is here stated will be found true
by all who may persevere in this investi-
CATION as have done.
What we want for successful fight
against any or ali of the destructive in
sects, is to find them tangible in one of
their multiarous transformations, where
we can the most easily srrest their evolu-
tions. Now, if 1 have not discovered this
point in regard TO the currant worm, l
think it may be said that have approach
ed somewhat in the right direction. 1t is
immaterial at what stage we begin; we
follow the insect in each of its revolving
states; so that if we can arrest it complete
ly in one of its three or four or a dozen
phases, its utter humiliation is made sure.
l wish, indeed, that / could say that
felt as sure of the cank er worm, the squash
bug and the curculio, as do of the cur
rant worm.
Let us now see if we can discover the
place, and perhaps the best we can find for
an effectual fight with this pest. As we go
over the currant bushes in May, after the
new growth has got well under way, we
notice that some of the new stems have
been squarely cut off, SO that few inches
of the top hangs TO the bark, or has fallen
to the ground. The cut appears recent, as
9 4 Al. I.ac. /, sa
has been made by the same currant worm
in one Of its forms as a fly; and it was
done for the purpose of depositing an egg
on the top of the place cut off. And by
giving attention TO that cut end, the cur
rant and gooseberry worm may be ami
Inflated. From that ,egg there comes the
borer, which, if not arrested, bores down
the stem eight or ten inches, and after hav
ing been frozen solid, the following spring
it becomes the fly which lays its eggs on
the under side of the leaves, and from
which we have the worms against which
the fighting has hitherto been done. But
manifestly, this fight can never annihilate
these W orms, because it is never possible
TO destroy the whole Of them in any given
case. But it is possible TO notice each one
of the cut stems, and so to prevent the egg
from becoming borer.
1t has long been an unsettled problem as
to what becomes the status of these worms
after they have fulfilled their Emission" in
eating up the leaves. Here are my own
conclusions on this point, and the demon
stration by which they are supported.
On some of the leaves, with these green
10 ,1s ;tA
worm that does not feed at all. Noticing
the skins of the green worms, with head
and legs precisely as if some of them had
moulted into another form, suggested to
me that probably these white larvae had
moulted from some of the others. there
fore placed a few leaves with only the
green worms on them in glass jar which
isnow before me. This morning, sixteen
hours after, on looking into this jar dis
covered three of these white worms on the
leaves, with the skins from which they had
moulted. This process of moulting is
seemingly gone through with in a single
night. But only small proportion (per-
haps the lighter colored ones) moult, and
so their cycle is completed. AS with the
honey-bee we know that the "workers'
constitute by far the largest proportion oil
the three classes in the swarm, and ye
these workers do not propagate; so witt
these destructive workers on the currant
bush. 1t does not appear that the greatest
proportion of them moult or propagate
but The purpose in the cycle is secured
without this.
These while worms are always found OIL
eyxrha fl,a Iii no FRO
which they have moulted. And those thai
do not moult dry up and die on The leaf
They do not fall to the ground as some
have supposed. The white worms are in
active and never seem to feed. When
touched they instantly curl up and wrig-
gle to the ground. Whether they remain
till spring in the earth or make their co
coons above ground is unknown. But i
would seem highly probable that it is from
these white larvae that the flies come whicl
announce their presence in the spring b.,
insidionsly cutting off the new growth o.
the shrub, as have stated. At any rate
by persistent attention to these cutoff end
in the spring, the currant worm may b.
annihilated. Every cut can be noticed an'
numbered, a remark that could not be tru
ly made of any other pest, certainly not o.
the potato bug, the curculio, or the "hop
PERI of the West. And hence 1 affirm tina
in any locality where all having curran
bushes shall agree to follow up this meth
cd, these worms must become thing o
the past.
These cutoff ends are fiat and piec
should be clipped off with sharp knife
and above the axil of a leaf, in a sloping o
upward direction, so as TO facilitate the con
tinued growth, and also to distinguish
from any not thus treated. If not attende
to till'late in the fall, these cutoff stem
will be found dead, and should be cut ava
and all of them be destroyed.
The first week in July this present SCI
son, L have taken off some dozens of thes
cut ends, in each of which have found I'll
small bOrer, and some so very small as OF
ly to be seen by the microscope. BY a
carly removal of this cut end the wood
saved, while its boIer, the fly and IL
worms, are forestalled. Thus it will |
seen, in this circle Of insect life, We hay
two different flies, one borer and two di
ferent worms, all having one purpos
which is the destruction of the currant an
the gooseberry.
Last fall l cut all these dead stems
could find, and in them | found this flu
grown borer, and in some number
small ones. This precaution made far lie
work for me in the fight of these worn
the present season. L may perhaps &C
that my labors in this regard would ha'
been very light indeed but for the garde
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