26 



THE CUBA REVIEW 



AGRICULTURAL MATTERS 



CITRUS CANKER 



The Florida C'itnis Seminar was in session 

 at the University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla., 

 the first week in October, and it was suggested 

 that the citrus growers of Cuba unite in an 

 in-gent appeal to the Cuban Government 

 requesting that the importation into Cuba of 

 any citrus stock whatever be prohibited. 

 It is stated that the infection will go from 

 grove to grove in the clothing of visitors in 

 the groves or laborers gathering the fruit or 

 working in the groves. The Florida Citrus 

 Seminar estimates that it will cost $4,000,000 

 to eradicate the disease from the State of 

 Florida, and that if it is not done, the citrus 

 fruit trees of that state are doomed. It is 

 a matter of vast importance that this worst 

 of all citrus diseases be kept out of Cuba. 

 It is hoped that the Government will estab- 

 lish a board to inspect any and all persons 

 and all fruit coming from the United States 

 to Cuba through Florida ports. 



CITRUS CANKER FACTS 



Citrus canker is a malignant, highly in- 

 fectious disease, affecting citrus trees and 

 fruit, and unless eradicated, the citrus fruit 

 growing industry of the United States will 

 be entirely destroyed. 



Canker was introduced into Japan from 

 Korea, and into Texas from Japan. P^rom 

 Texas it has spread into the States of Louis- 

 iana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida, and 

 threatens the States of Arizona and Cali- 

 fornia. 



No cm"e has Ijeen foimd or means discovered 

 for preventing its sj^read, except the entire 

 destruction of infected trees by fire. 



The bacteria causing the disease are 

 minute and innumerable, and are readily 

 transmitted in numl>erless ways. These 

 bacteria may lie dormant for months and 

 then suddenly become active and create new 

 centers of infection. 



A thorough system of inspection must be 

 kept up for a considerable period after canker 

 is apparently eradicated. 



To eradicate citrus canker, groves and 

 niu'series in which the infection has become 

 wide spread, or which have shown consecu- 

 tive infections for a considerable period, 

 should be completely burned. 



CITRUS- FRUIT INDUSTRY IN EASTERN CUBA 



There are several American colonies within 

 this consular district where the work of the 

 majority of the residents is devoted exclu- 

 sively to the raising of citrus fruits. This in- 

 dustry has grown during the last few years in 

 this part of Cuba, until to-day it is of con- 

 siderable importance. 



The soil in certain sections is especially well 

 adapted to citrus fruits, and the grapefruit, 

 oranges, tangerines, and limes produced on 

 many of these plantations have an excellent 

 rei)utation, both in the United States and 

 Great Britain, to which countries the greater 

 part of the fruit is exported. Some varieties 

 of the grapefruit, in particular, are noted for 

 their size, excellent flavor, and thinness and 

 toughness of skin. 



Prices Low This Season — ModtTii Methods 

 Employed. 



In 1914 the crop was extraordinarily large 

 and excellent prices prevailed, but the re- 

 verse has been the case during the present 

 year. Prices in general have l)een very low, 

 for several reasons, and many of the growers 

 have hardly made ends meet. 



During the season of 1912, the value of the 

 exports of citrus fruits from this consular dis- 

 trict amounted to $70,384, in 1913, to $88,- 

 027, and in 1914, to $130,028. Up to the 

 present time this year 37,695 boxes have been 

 exported, valued at $75,207. 



The majority of the citrus-fruit growers in 

 this section are experts and employ the most 

 modern methods in the cultivation of the soil, 

 the preservation of the trees, and the packing 

 of the fruit. The growers here also have the 

 advantage of direct shipments to New York 

 in vessels equipped with modern refrigerating 

 compartments. — Consxd P. Merrill Griffith, 

 Saul ia go. 



A RARE PLANT 



According to press reports, the Department 

 of Agriculture of Cuba has been in communi- 

 cation with the authorities in charge of the 

 botanical gardens at Singapore, searching for 

 information in regard to a plant which, ac- 

 cording to reports, has the properties of being 

 deadly to mosquitoes. The advisability is 

 being considered of procuring some of the 

 seeds of this jilant for experimental study. 



