562 FRUIT CULTURE IN FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 



this couvenient .shelter, shortly shift their quarters th«re, taking with 

 tlieiu their wives aud grubs, so as to keep them warmer. By repeating 

 this operation two or three times they disappear. 



Spiders are carnivorous aud feed on the blood of the insects they may 

 catch, for which reason they occasion little»)r no damage to the orange 

 tree. 



PARASITIC PLANTS. 



(1) DematJiium monopliyllwrn or Carbon. This is the most common, 

 and, at the same time, most dangerous. The unseen stamens and pis- 

 tils of these plants, although but slightly adherent to the vital parts 

 of the orange tree, multiply with an inconceivable facility. Some call 

 it fumago citri on account of the smoky appearance presented by the 

 shoots attacked by the disease. Its appearance is that of a black 

 powder, the congregated particles of which extend sidewise and form 

 a species of very thin crust, which finishes by covering the trunk and 

 branches. An infinity of small and fine peduncles grow out of said 

 crust, bearing on their apex a cellule or black spongy substance, which 

 contains the spores or seed. It is a true arthrosporic excrescence, in 

 which the reproductive organs appear in abundance and confounded 

 with those of the vegetation of the cryptogamia. This fabulous quan- 

 tity of germs naturalls" causes the reproduction of the parasite to be 

 exceedingly rai^id, especially in damp and shady spots, but it must be 

 borne in mind that it but slightly adheres to the sides of the orange tree. 

 The aspect of an orchard infested by this parasite is sad and disconso- 

 late; the bright and cheerful verdure of the brilliant leaves of the 

 orange trees completely disappears ; the branches and foliage acquire 

 a blackish and dark shade, and the fruit loses its yellow or golden color, 

 being also covered with a dark incrustation, or black smut, and falling 

 off the trees entirely altered. 



(2) Lichen aurantii. This is the other cryptogamia, equally parasitic, 

 and likewise occasions much damage to the orange tree. It presents 

 itself in the form of a thiu snbstance, not thick in growth, and of a 

 whitish gray color, covered with small protuberances, which have the 

 appearance of organs of fructification. This plant is really more detri- 

 mental and dangerous than the other, in consequence of the tenacity 

 with which it fastens itself on the different parts of the orange trees, but 

 it is fortunately rarer, andthe late years of dry weather have caused it 

 to disappear from various gardens of the Mediterranean littoral, which 

 were infested with it. 



For the destruction of both parasites, slaked lime is recommended, 

 but the better system for destroying not only these but also all other 

 lichens, existing like jmrasites, which fix themselves on the trunks and 

 branches of trees, paralyzing the functions of same aud rendering them 

 unfit to produce an ordinary crop, is to well prune the trees, so that the 

 air, wind, light, and solar rays may thoroughly penetrate them. In such 



