194 



sufficiently far back to be quite clear of the disease. The bared 

 portion of the stem should then be dressed with a composition made 

 of Ten pounds of lime, five pounds of sulphur, four pounds of sulphate 

 of copper, and a gill of carbolic acid. Mix these materials thoroughly, 

 using enough water to make of the consistence of a thick paint, and 

 apply with a brush. Pieces of sound hark from the same or other 

 trees in;iy afterwards be grafted into the places. If, however, the 

 wood is affected, a cure is hopeless, and to spend time and labour in 

 treatment will be a waste. The better plan with such trees is to 

 destroy them as soon as is practicable. Thoug'h the disease is not 

 easily cured cultivators may do much towards preventing it from 

 coming. In the first place, as it seems to affect trees chiefly near 

 the place of union between stock and scion it will be advisable to 

 give the preference to budded rather than grafted plants. Budded 

 plants being worked higher up the stems than those that are grafted, 

 the union of stock and scion is farther removed from the part liable 

 to be attacked, and, consequently, the risk of the disease is lessened. 

 The writer has found by his own experience that budded trees are 

 comparatively free from this destructive disease. Some authorities 

 assert that this disease may be avoided by using varieties of the 

 Bitter Orange (Citrus Bigaradia) as stocks, but this has not yet been 

 proved beyond doubt. Possibly the Bitter Orange stock may have 

 some influence in lessening the risk from the disease, but according 

 to the experience of the writer its use will not entirely avoid the 

 evil. Possibly, however, some species of the Citrus family will 

 prove a thoroughly preveiitative stock, and experiments in this 

 direction are likely to prove serviceable. 



Swibnrn. Trees of the Citrus family are often more or less injured 

 through the bark of the stems being scorched by the sun. The 

 complaint more especially affects young trees whose heads are not 

 large enough to shade the stem, and whose bark is somewhat tender. 

 Older trees, however, suffer from Sunburn. This disease may be 

 noticed by brown patches or strips on the bark upon the sides of the 

 stems most exposed to the sun. The scorching occurs 011 very hot 

 days when the air is very still, and is sometimes so severe as actually 

 to kill the affected portions of the bark. When the trees are affected 

 the circulation of the sap becomes irregular, and, as a matter of 

 course, the vitality of the plant suffers more or less. It is the 

 writer's opinion that many trees become unhealthy and die off pre- 

 maturely from their bark being affected by Sunburn. And not only 

 are the trees injured directly through the circulation of the sap 

 being disturbed, but they are predisposed to the attacks of certain 

 insects and fungi. The affected bark becomes ruptured by shrinkage. 

 and often dies altogether, and in either case it affords harbour for 

 the germs of insect and fungoid parasites, hi order to avoid Sun I turn 

 it is, in the first place, advisable to train trees with low heads, and in 

 such a way that the foliage will effectively shade the stems from the 

 full power of the sun. As regards young trees, however, the heads 

 for a year or two after planting are not large enough to afford the 

 requisite amount of shade, and the cultivator must protect the stems 



