122 FLORIDA FRUITS ORANGES. 



Rusted Fruit. If severely attacked by rust before it 

 has completed its growth, the orange does not attain its 

 full size. Very rusty fruit is always small ; its quality is, 

 however, improved rather than deteriorated. The tough- 

 ened rind preserves it from injury and decay, prevents 

 evaporation from within, and carries the ripening process 

 to a higher point. 



Rusty oranges can be shipped without loss to great dis- 

 tances; they keep longer both on and off the tree, and 

 when they reach the Northern markets are superior to the 

 bright fruit in flavor. Consumers, not being aware of this 

 fact, however, prefer the latter, and the reduced price of 

 the bronzed fruit more than offsets to the producer its 

 superior keeping and shipping qualities. 



Geographical Distribution. Rust appears to be known 

 upon the orange only in Florida. Within the limits 

 of the State, however, its presence is universal. No 

 section, whatever claims may be made to the contrary, 

 is exempt. 



Influence of Soil and Methods of Cultivation. The effect 

 upon the prevalence of rust of various systems of cul- 

 tivation and of applications to the soil, for the pur- 

 pose of changing its nature or supplying assumed de- 

 ficiencies in its composition, has been the subject of end- 

 less discussion, and of experiments affording negative or 

 conflicting results, which can not profitably be reviewed 

 here. 



Suffice it to say, no method of combating rust by spe- 

 cial treatment of the soil, or other indirect action through 

 the plant, has been proven effective. By forcing with fer- 

 tilizers and high cultivation, no improvement is affected 

 in the color of the fruit. This depends not upon the 

 condition of the tree, but rather upon the number of 

 the mites, which is, in fact, increased by an abundant 



