130 ORANGE CULTURE IN FLORIDA. 



of roots of trees come in contact with poisonous 

 earth or fermenting manures, a similar symptom is 

 produced, as in planting upon hard-pan or over a 

 stratum of salt earth. 



Where moss appears on the trunks of trees, it is 

 easily removed by any alkali wash. Soap-suds, or 

 what is better, wood-ashes, will both fertilize and 

 cleanse. 



The cracking of the fruit is occasioned by any 

 suspension of the growth of the fruit, and a conse- 

 quent hardening of the rind, followed by a sudden 

 flow of sap from any stimulating cause, as highly 

 fertilizing a bearing grove, especially during sum- 

 mer, or a wet spell following a dry. This cracking 

 is more apt to follow the rains, if trees have been 

 highly manured even in winter. This can be pre- 

 vented by keeping the ground well stirred during 

 dry weather. The soil thus stirred absorbs moist- 

 ure and keeps the fruit growing. 



Two other diseases have of late years shown 

 themselves in Florida, and occasioned great fear 

 and trouble among orange growers. One is known 

 as the " foot-rot. ' ' The symptoms are the decay 

 and sloughing of the bark around the crown and 

 tap-roots of the tree. I have had no experience in 

 my own grove with this disease, but have watched 

 its effects in many portions of the State. It has 

 occasioned much trouble and loss in Louisiana, 

 from whose orange growers I have had many letters 

 of inquiry, some of whom have confounded the dis- 



