180 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 



Satsuina oranges. — As a result of investigations of Satsunia or- 

 anges being grown in Japan, a number of introductions of new varie- 

 ties have been made, and propagation of tliese is being pushed in 

 order to test them thoroughly in the United States. The Wase 

 variety, originating as a bud sport of the Owari variety, possesses 

 the merit of unusual earliness combined with large size and excellent 

 quality. 



Citrus-canker eradication. — As a result of the vigorous campaign 

 conducted by the Gulf States in cooperation with this bureau it was 

 thought that the bacterial disease of citrus trees known as citrus 

 canker had been completely eliminated from areas of commercial 

 citrus- fruit production, but this canker was again discovered in 

 Florida on May 20, 1922, in a grapefruit orchard in an isolated citrus 

 section near Davie, and since that time 14 near-by properties have 

 been found infected, with a total of about 750 trees. Since the dis- 

 ease is easily spread from orchard to orchard by workmen engaged 

 in cultivating or picking, a rigid inspection is necessary, and a large 

 corps of men experienced in canker control is now at work in Florida. 



In addition to this outbreak in Florida a few infected spots were 

 found in Alabama and Mississippi, which emphasizes the necessity 

 of continuing the inspection work on a more adequate scale. Louisi- 

 ana has apparently eradicated canker from the commercial pro- 

 ducing area, but many scattered infected trees are being found in 

 isolated places. Eifective eradication activities are now under way 

 in Texas, and it appears that by far the larger part of the infected 

 trees have been located and destroyed. Occasional outbreaks of 

 canker occur in the lower Rio Grande Valley, and at present major 

 efforts are being devoted to the thorough eradication of canker from 

 the entire Rio Grande district. 



Melanose and stern-end rot. — Further experiments confirm the pre- 

 vious findings that spraying young fruit with Bordeaux mixture and 

 oil emulsion in combination will effectively and economically control 

 both melanose and stem-end rot. This gives a new and probably the 

 most satisfactory way of handling the very difficult stem-end rot 

 situation as it originates in the orchard. Researches have been con- 

 tinued on the stem-end rot as it occurs in the packing houses and in 

 transit, and extensive data on the activities of the causal fungus are 

 ready for preparation for publication. 



ROSACEOUS FRUIT BREEDING. 



The princiiDal activities in breeding rosaceous fruits have been 

 carried on in California, centering about Chico. In view of the fact 

 that the work has been in progress only a comparatively short time, 

 no final results can be reported, since there has not been a sufficient 

 time for any of the seedlings resulting from this activity to come into 

 bearing. Special consideration is being given to the stone fruits, 

 particularly peaches and plums, with some attention to pears. The 

 effort is to combine in hybrids, or crosses, certain horticultural 

 varieties having important desirable characteristics with other varie- 

 ties or species, or with introductions made by this bureau, with a view 

 to obtaining combinations which will represent new qualities or im- 

 provement such as will render the varieties produced of particular 

 value for special purposes or for regions where the present varieties 

 are not well adapted. 



