FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
81 
NATURE AND CAUSE OF CITRUS CANKER 
H. E. Stevens, Gainesville, Fla. 
INTRODUCTION 
Probably no plant disease or insect pest 
has ever aroused so much interest in Flor¬ 
ida as citrus canker has. The cotton boll 
weevil is gradually spreading over the 
western part of the state where cotton is 
grown, but has caused no general alarm. 
The dreaded Mediterranean fruit fly has 
been in the neighborhood of our southern 
limits for a number of years; still there 
has been no concerted effort to effectually 
guard against the danger this enemy 
threatens to the state at large. The white- 
fly came, and has been accepted as an un¬ 
avoidable evil, and is a constant drain on 
the citrus industry. Citrus scab, foot rot 
and other plant diseases have been liber¬ 
ally donated by our neighbors or foreign 
countries; and the Florida farmers have 
accepted these with a forbearance that is 
remarkable. 
4 
With the introduction of this new dis¬ 
ease—citrus canker—there has been an 
awakening, especially among the citrus 
growers, and this awakening has resulted 
in a growing sentiment in favor of put¬ 
ting the citrus industry on a higher plane, 
especially in regard to protection against 
diseases and insects. This sentiment is 
not confined wholly to the citrus growers, 
for many farmers, and those having in¬ 
terests closely allied to agriculture, are be¬ 
ginning to realize that adequate protec¬ 
tion is necessary to prevent the enormous 
losses that occur annually to the agricul¬ 
tural products of the state through the 
agency of insects and diseases. This is 
a question that concerns the state as a 
whole, and not only certain classes or 
individuals. Whatever seriously affects 
one important industry in the state will 
affect, in some degree, the others. In 
citrus canker the citrus-growers have had 
a warning, in concrete form, of the dan¬ 
ger they are continually exposed to. The 
vegetable-growers have many serious 
pests to contend with at present, and there 
are others more serious that may come la¬ 
ter. Even the general farmer has his 
share of trouble with plant diseases and 
insects. Thus the fight against such pests 
is a common cause which should be sup¬ 
ported by the combined efforts of all con¬ 
cerned, with the view of obtaining more 
and better protection against these ene¬ 
mies, 
The fight that Florida is making 
against citrus canker is a heroic one, es¬ 
pecially in Dade county, where the dis¬ 
ease first appeared. The growers of this 
section and their loyal supporters are to 
be highly commended for their untiring 
efforts and determination to wipe this dis¬ 
ease out of existence. They have labored 
against odds, against opposition, and in 
face of many obstacles that have seemed 
almost unsurmountable. But their efforts 
have not been and will not be in vain. 
Other states are watching with interest 
the campaign against this disease. If the 
growers succeed in completely eradicating 
canker from the infected districts, they 
6 
