332 MUXTHLY BULLETIN. 



Some limes are being raised commercially in the southern part of the 

 state, especially on the islands composing the Florida Keys, where 

 natural thickets of lime trees grow. The withertip fungus (Gloeos- 

 porium Ihnetiicolum) . however, interferes greatly with the crop as well 

 as with the growth of the trees in these places. 



Stocks. 



The four citrus stocks most used in Florida at the present time appear 

 to be sour orange, rough lemon. Citrus trifoliata and grapefruit ; in 

 California, the principal stocks used are sweet and sour orange. Sour 

 orange in Florida is probably used more than any other, and grape- 

 fruit appears to be used less than formerly. The sour orange stock, 

 now being used extensively in California because of its great resistance 

 to the gum diseases, has for years been u^ed in Florida to replace the 

 sweet orange stock because of its resistance also to the gum disease 

 known as foot rot or Mai di gomma there. Sour orange is especially 

 desirable on low moist hammock soils, where there is most danger from 

 this disease. California growers have, until recently, used more sweet 

 orange stock than any other. In Florida, the rough lemon is preferred 

 by some for rather high, loose sandy land, because it appears to push 

 the growth of the tree faster during the first few years. It is also 

 said to be a more vigorous feeder and to stand more drought than other 

 stocks. The objections that have been raised against the rough lemon 

 stock is that it appears in many cases to cause the fruit (oranges 

 especially) for the first few years to be coarse, pithy and dry. The 

 Citrus trifoliata stock is used extensively for the Satsuma orange, a 

 hardy variety planted in northern Florida and the other Gulf states 

 because of its resistance to frost. This stock appears to liave the 

 influence of somewhat dwarfing most varieties of citrus trees. 



CITRUS CONDITIONS IN CUBA. 



According to statistics published in 1913 by the Cuba Neivs of 

 Havana, there were at that time less than 20,000 acres of citrus growing 

 commercially in Cuba and the Isle of Pines, most of it under 12 years 

 of age. This did not include the older scattered citrus trees throughout 

 the islands. In round numbers, about 14,000 acres of this were in 

 grapefruit, 5,000 acres were in oranges and 800 acres in lemons. IMost 

 attention is being paid in Cuba to grapefruit for shipping, oranges 

 being grown principally for local consumption, and little attention is 

 now being paid to lemons. With a few exceptions, the lemon orchards 

 are considered unprofitable and are mostly being neglected or budded 

 over to other citrus varieties. It would seem, however, that with proper 

 care, lemon growing could be made profitable in Cuba. Several growers 

 who have taken pains with their crop are reported to have received 

 good returns. The Cubans themselves eat very little grapefruit, but 

 are very fond of what we would term over-sweet, insipid oranges. It 

 was estimated by a large fruit buj^er that the city of Havana consumed 

 an average of 100,000 such oranges daily the year around. These 

 oranges for local consumption are not picked until they are quite sweet 

 and are shipped from the outlying provinces in bulk in the ears without 

 being put in boxes and are handled in a very rough manner. 



In climatic conditions, Cuba and the Isle of Pines are similar in many 

 respects to southern Florida. The rainy season occurs in summer and 



