CITRUS CANKER 



INTHOOrCTIOX. 



Duriiii; llu- past lew years considcrahU' aKcnlioii 

 has been diicctod to the study of a citrus disease, 

 coniuiouly known as citrus canker. A number of pub- 

 lications dealing with these observations and investi- 

 galions have been pi-e|)ared so that a considerable 

 anioiml of inlorinalion has been secured relative to 

 the (hslribution and the appearance of the disease, to 

 the nature of the organisms which cause it. to the agen- 

 cies concerned in its disst niination and to the dillicul- 

 tii's I'xperienced in its control and eradication. Many 

 piobUnis connected ^^•ith this disease hiive not yet 

 been invt'stigaled, but il is deemed advisabh' lo pre- 

 sent at this time the results of the studies thus far con- 

 ducted. 



A report end)0(iying the investigations made by the 

 Avriter ui)()n citrus canker has been published in the 

 Jounial of Agricultural Research, (Vol. VI, No. 2.) (1). 

 The present publication contains a rather more brief 

 account of the most important results presented in this 

 rej)ort. and in addition contains such information as 

 could be drawn from other papers dealing with citrus 

 canker. 



Historical. 



Citrus canker was introduced into the Gulf States 

 from .lai)an on nursery stock. It has been found to 

 occur in Jai)an, the Philippine Islands and parts of 

 Eastern Asia. Whether or not it is indigenous to these 

 countries is not known with certainty, but it is known 

 that il is not of American origin. Specimens w^erc 

 first brought to the writer's attention in February, 1914. 

 The Olhce of Nursery Ins])ection of Florida had col- 

 lected specimens in September, 1912. but did not real- 

 ize the i)resence of a new citrus disease within the 

 State until July of the following year. The disease has 

 been collected in all of the Gulf States in the sections 

 adapted to llu- growth of citrus trees. Within Alabama 

 it is coulined |)rincii)ally lo Baldwin and Mobile couii- 



(1) WoU'. V. A. Citrus (^anki r. .lour. Agr. l\eseai'cli 6, No. 2, 

 ♦59-100, Fig. 8, plates YIII-XI, 1910. 



