124 [DISEASES OF THE CAROB TREE 



by Zerafa and Gulia. The best preventive treatment 

 against canker consists in painting heavily with liquid tar 

 all large wounds, renewing the operation every two or 

 three years until the wound is healed. 



Phyllosticta Ceratoniae Berk, produces roundish 

 brown blotches on the surface of the leaf, on which 

 minute black dots are subsequently developed. This 

 fungus causes an early defoliation, and is sometimes 

 rather troublesome. Phoma Ceratoniae Sacc. attacks the 

 weak ends of the twigs which had lost their foliage in 

 severe winters. The twigs die, and the minute black 

 fructifications develop in the course of the following 

 summer and autumn. Septoria Carrubi Pass, is another 

 fungus which attacks the green foliage of carob trees in 

 valleys and sheltered situations. It is also found on the 

 young green pods, which dry off in consequence of the 

 attack. Cercospora Ceratoniae Sacc. produces irregular 

 reddish brown blotches on the leaves, and checks the 

 growth of the tree. However the worst cryptogamic 

 disease of the Carob is Oidium Ceratoniae Comes, which 

 is common everywhere on the young foliage as well as on 

 the old, and is particularly injurious to the young pods. 

 The attacks of this fungus are often so virulent that not 

 a single pod remains unaffected. These diseased pods 

 generally wither off when still young, but may survive, 

 and then assume an uneven shape with greyish and 

 fissured spots. Unfortunately there is no real remedy 

 against this disease, but dustings with sulphur, soon after 

 the blooming period, may prove useful if the weather is 

 not too wet. 



Two scale insects are met with everywhere on the 

 Carob tree, viz. Aspidiotus Hedtrae Vallot. (A. Cera- 

 toniae Signer et.) and Chionaspis Ceratoniae P. Marchal. 

 The first is the usual round white scale of the Ivy. The 

 second is also white, but is smaller, and is elongated and 

 pointed at one end, or mussel-shaped. Both are equally 

 injurious to the Carob in valleys and close situations, but 



