226 Investigations in Plant Pathology 



scab, orange blight and die-back for years had been doing damage 

 there. 



July 4 they began to examine the important Piatt grove whose 

 owner for some while had been among those who had urged the 

 Division to work on citrous diseases. Since the Florida citrous 

 industry represented an investment of more than one hundred 

 million dollars and possessed 2,800,000 bearing orange and lemon 

 trees, according to the latest census, the Division had regarded- 

 with favor the many petitions and requests received, particularly 

 since by 1893 one disease — the so-called wilt or blight — during six 

 years would have destroyed more than a million and a quarter 

 dollars worth of trees. On July 7 Smith and Swingle found in this 

 sixteen-acre grove 100 cases of "wilt" already causing losses 

 which Smith estimated at $1,500. He was told that others had 

 lost more than this sum. Indeed, since the disease was spreading 

 and becoming more serious, threatened losses were large. Care- 

 fully he listed and described every symptom, because this new and 

 destructive disease was the real reason why Smith and Swingle 

 had been sent to Florida."' They came to no conclusion as to its 

 cause other than that the disease appeared to be undergound, and 

 merited further study. 



Smith observed " no signs of insects and no fungi on parts above 

 ground. Symptoms are such as one might expect if tree were 

 deprived of its water supply but no lack of moisture in the soil " 

 could be seen. " Heavy rains," he further noted, " do not revive 

 such trees." Further notes of this and another disease "not in the 

 books " were taken, and on July 8, they left by wagon for Leesburg 

 whence Smith left for Palatka, from there planning to go to Como 

 to visit his high school principal of Ionia, Michigan, Anson P. 

 DeWolf, and another old friend. Swingle remained in Florida 

 and "completed," as Galloway reported that year, "the circuit 

 of the more important orange-growing regions. Groves were care- 

 fully examined and the orange growers interviewed at twenty-six 

 towns in fourteen counties."^ Smith continued to examine plant 

 diseases, finding on July 9 much genuine " die back " and at least 



"^ Synopsis of researches, op. cit., 20. The statistical data are taken from a letter 

 from Galloway to Secretary Morton, April 1, 1893. Smith's studies during this 

 period of " gummosis of the peach " and of *' foot rot of the orange" made with 

 '' Comes' findings in mind " ended with the belief that neither disease was due to 

 bacteria. 



""P. 373. 



