Inquiries and Beplies. 285 



Citrus Fruit Rot. 



Ca-pe. — I sliould be obliged if you could pay a visit to my orchard 

 for tlie purpose of advising- uie al)out a disease affecting my citrus 

 trees. 



Elsenburg School of AgricAilture replies : Concerning the recent 

 visit to your citrus groves, the disease present is that known as the 

 " citrus fruit rot," and is one which is fairly common in the orchards 

 at this time of the year. Oranges, naartjes, lemons, and limes 

 all suffer. At first the fruit shows watery patches on the skin. Soon 

 these patches become covered with a white mould, which later on 

 assumes a bluish or greenish tinge. The whole fruit becomes covered 

 with the mould, and the fruit drops to the ground. The disease is 

 recognized as a wound parasite. The skin of the fruit may have 

 slight abrasions due to such causes as scratching by twigs, careless- 

 ness in picking, fowls, and game interfering with the lower branches, 

 puncturing insects. To minimize losses, attention should be paid to 

 the remedying of causes where possible. Fallen fruit should be 

 collected regularly and buried deeply. Great care should be taken 

 to keep the grove in as clean a condition as possible. If the wind- 

 breaks are too dense they should be opened up to admit of a, freer 

 circulation of air throughout the orchards. 



Evading the Regulations. 



Rustenhinfj. — Will you kindly state how it is possible for under- 

 grade oranges to get to England, although subject to inspection? 



Tlie Chief, Division of Horticvltiire, replies : So long as a certain 

 class of grower aims at defeating^ the regulations, so long will a 

 certain amount of inferior stuff find its way overseas. In inspection 

 it is not a matter of opening boxes at bottom or top. In tlie boxes 

 opened the whole of tlie fruit is taken out, inspected, rewrapped, and 

 repacked. If this is not done there would be no check on the counts. 

 A shipper sending 500 or 1000 boxes, perliaps plucked from halt a 

 dozen orchards, stands a chance of getting some rubbish overseas and 

 he takes it. Of 500 boxes, 25 would be examined, and, if doubtful, 

 another 5 or 10 to make sure. In a parcel of 500 boxes, except every 

 one is inspected, and that would be an impracticable proposition, 

 there is always the risk, if not put up by an honest packer, of some 

 bad stuff getting through. 



It is a remarkably strange state of affairs when the individual 

 can be so ignorant that he cannot realize that it is in his best interests 

 to pack only good fruit. 



The Journal aims at keeping farmers informed of what the 

 Department of Agriculture is doing, also of sucli matters affecting 

 their interests as come under its purview. The Journal contains 

 original articles for the guidance of the farmer on the many and 

 diverse problems which face him. Every farmer should lead it and 

 keep it. 



