57 



thus freed, curve up away from the tree, dry out and finally 

 fall off. These patches are enlarged by the disease spreading 

 to the adjoining bark. Other patches also form on fresh bark. 

 The malady spreads down the roots and latterly around the 

 trunk. Tt extends through the bark and cambium layer into 

 the wood, killing all the tissues as far as it extends. In many 

 cases the tree is finally girdled, which, of course, results in its 

 death. The accompanying or premonitory symptoms are sparse 

 foliage, small yellow leaves, and the dying of small limbs over 

 the tree. The disease is apparently contagious, probably being 

 caused by some minute parasitic organism. It is also thought 

 that improper aeration of the roots induces the disease. Sweet 

 seedling orange trees and lemons are particularly subject to 

 the malady, while grape fruit is but slightly subject to it, and 

 sour orange is almost wholly exempt. The malady may be 

 prevented by using sour orange stocks on lowland and flat 

 woods, and grape fruit stocks on high and dry pine lands. 

 Removing the soil from around the crown roots is the most 

 effective treatment. This can be best done by using a stream 

 of water under considerable pressure. This washes the soil 

 away without injuring the roots, cutting away the diseased 

 portions of bark and wood and washing and painting the wounds 

 with a solution of sulphurous acid, carbolic acid, or sulphur 

 wash is recommended as beneficial. Avoid the excessive use 

 of nitrogenous organic manures, excessive cultivation, and 

 immoderate irrigation. Give good drainage in all cases and if 

 the trees are planted too thick so that the ground is shaded, 

 thin them out. 



6. Melanose which attacks all citrus fruits is a new disease. 

 It is as yet known only from a few points in Florida and does 

 not cause much damage, probably only about $5,000 in 1894. 

 However, it seems to be spreading and is capable of causing' 

 great losses should it become widely distributed. It forms 

 minute brown spots on the leaves, twigs and fruits. These 

 brown spots appear when the fruit and leaves are still young* 

 and do not form an old tissue. They reach a size of from 

 l/100th to l/25th of an inch in diameter and are often very 

 numerous sometimes running together over large areas, greatly 

 staining and disfiguring the fruit. In bad cases the trees are 

 much injured by the malady, but ordinarily most of the 

 damage results from the discolouring of the fruit. Lemons 

 particularly, are unsaleable if attacked by melanose to any con- 

 siderable extent. The cause of this disease is not certainly 

 known, but it is very probably some minute vegetable parasite. 

 Bordeaux mixture or ammoniacal solution of copper carbonate 

 are very effective remedies if applied two or three times to the 

 young fruits. 



