time, but was more often than not in excess of the average. In the last weeks both of January and February the duration was extremely large, especially in the eastern and southern districts, the amount registered in the earlier instance being the largest observed in any week in January since the recording instruments were started in 1881. Taking the winter as a whole, the figures in the table show that in the Channel Islands the total duration was exactly equal to the average. In all other districts there was an excess, slight enough in the north-eastern and south-western counties, but large in other districts, and especially so in the east, where the winter was sunnier than any of its five predecessors. At Cambridge the total duration was 234 hours, being 72 more than the average, and appreciably greater than in any winter since regular sunshine observations commenced there in 1880. In the midland and southern counties the winter was not quite so sunny as that of 1894-95, while in many other parts of England it was less sunny than that of a year ago, the difference in this respect being very marked in the Channel Islands.

INSECT PESTS OF FRUIT-TREES.'

FEW object lessons are more convincing than those which may be derived from observation of the ravages of insect and other pests in

Gooseberry and currant saw-fly, Nematus ribesii, Cameron. Male saw-fly, caterpillars,
and cocoon; all magnified.

an orchard or a fruit garden, or, indeed, in any garden where fruittrees and fruit-bushes are included amongst the plants cultivated.

Handbook of Insects injurious to Orchard and Bush Fruits, with Methods of Prevention and Remedy. By ELEANOR A. ORMEROD. Pp. x. + 286, with numerous illustrations. London: Simpkin, Marshall & Co. 1898. 3s. 6d. VOL. X. T. S.-37

The white fluffy material sometimes seen clinging to the bark of the apple-tree, the small brownish shell-like scales dotted in countless numbers over the same stem, the repulsive little slug-like creatures that sear the leaves of the cherry and the pear, the voracious larvæ that strip a gooseberry-bush of its foliage in a very short time, the early-fallen apple with the tell-tale spot whence a caterpillar forsook the fruit it had served to destroy, the web-nests in which the large

Lappet moth, Gastropacha quercifolia, Linn. (the larger the female, the smaller the male); also caterpillar, and apple-twig with leaves eaten away. All from life.

handsome larvæ of the lackey moth live by scores or hundreds, the greatly swollen buds in early spring on the black currant bushthese and other manifestations of insect energy can hardly escape the notice even of people who are not usually observant. They are all associated with injury to the fruit-trees and with consequent loss. Every grower of fruit who takes an interest in his work would be glad to impose a check if he knew how-upon the

ravages of pests for the maintenance of which he often has to pay dearly enough.

When mischief is ascertained to be in progress, or at least imminent, a natural question at the outset is as to the identity of the perpe

Apple-suckers, or Apple Chermes, Psylla mali, Schmidberger, from life; natural length, -inch. On the right, pupa of pear-sucker, also magnified.

trator. Is it the greedy and quickly growing larva of a moth or saw-fly, devouring plant-tissue at an alarming rate; is it a member of the prolific aphis family, multiplying with a rapidity of which mere numbers can convey but a poor conception, and undermining the vitality of the plants by sucking their juices; is it one of those

Gooseberry and Ivy Red spider, Bryobia pratiora, C. L. Koch (outline figure after Koch); both magnified. Leaf infested by Red Spider, natural size

hard little snouted beetles, called weevils, which usually do their fatal work hidden from view; or is it, perchance, a member of the destructive group of the scales? To such questions as these, and more especially to the obvious and practical inquiry, What is to be done the volume under notice will often afford a ready answer.

In this useful treatise Miss Ormerod has simplified the subject for the fruit-grower by taking the main fruit-crops in alphabetical order, and detailing the insect and allied pests to the attacks of which they are respectively most liable. In this way, the apple, cherry, currant, gooseberry, nut, pear, plum, quince, raspberry, and strawberry are dealt with in the order indicated. All the common pests of each of these fruit-crops are considered at some length, their general structure and life-history being described, together with the nature of the mischief they perpetrate. In every case practicable

1. Currant Gall mite, Phytoptus ribis, Nalepa, greatly magnified; natural length of female, 0:09 inch. 2. Black currant twig with mite galls.

measures are set forth for suppressing or checking attacks already in progress, as well as for the prevention of possible future ravages. Under the head of apple the pests which are thus noticed comprise the woolly aphis, apple aphis, codlin moth, figure-of-eight moth, goat moth, lackey moth, lappet moth, small ermine moth, garden chafer, apple sawfly, mussel scale, apple sucker, and apple-blossom weevil. The pests of the gooseberry described in detail comprise the dot moth, magpie moth, red spider, gooseberry and currant sawfly, "allied" sawfly, and gooseberry and currant scale. Growers of the

strawberry—to take one other illustration-will find ample space devoted to the ravages of ground beetles ('bat beetles '), cockchafers, golden chafers, strawberry-leaf beetles, button moths, garden swift moths, and eelworms.

Inasmuch, however, as some pests pay their unwelcome attentions to more than one of our cultivated fruits, the author has still further given the grower a helping hand by providing at the end of the volume an alphabetical list of fruit crops with the names of the insect pests of each one. Thus, although the dreaded winter moth, Cheimatobia brumata, is appropriately described amongst the insects that more especially attack the plum, it is nevertheless mentioned, in the list referred to, under the heads of apple, cherry, currant, gooseberry, and pear, all of which, particularly the first named, are liable to its attacks.

In a few cases Miss Ormerod has gone outside the class Insecta. This was desirable from the circumstance that several minute animal pests, other than insects, are capable of causing considerable loss to the fruit-grower. The notorious red spider and other arachnids, such as the gall mite of the black currant bush, thus receive attention, as does also the leaf-blister mite of the pear. In like manner the lowly organised eelworm which is associated with the "cauliflower disease of the strawberry is brought under notice. Farmers are familiar with the ravages of eelworms in the case of such disorders as "stem-sickness" in clover and "tulip root" in oats.

With this handbook as a guide, the fruit-grower-whether he be a cultivator on an extensive scale, as in an orchard, or only to the modest degree compatible with the moderate limits of a kitchen. garden-will find himself constantly on the alert as to impending attacks of insect pests. By warding these off on the one hand, and by promptly suppressing them when they occur on the other, he will have the satisfaction of obtaining from his fruit-trees a more substantial return than would otherwise be the case.

Several illustrations from the volume are here reproduced with the author's permission.

13 Hanover Square, W.

W. FREAM.

RECENT AGRICULTURAL INVENTIONS. The subjects of Applications for Patents from December 10, 1898, to March 11, 1899.

N.B.-Where the Invention is a communication from abroad, the name of the Inventor is shown in italics, between parentheses, after the name of the applicant.

No. of

Agricultural Machinery and Implements, &c

Application. Name of Applicant.

Year 1898.

Title of Invention.

Distributing manure.

Rotary disc ploughs.