FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
85 
eased trees, so pruning and cutting out of 
diseased parts are not practicable. 
Fifth : The rapidity with which the dis¬ 
ease spreads during favorable weather 
makes it difficult to handle even when the 
infected trees are destroyed. 
Sixth : The persistent nature of the 
cankers in the bark of trunks and larger 
branches forms an ever-present source 
from which the disease is spread. 
CONTROL 
The most effective method of control¬ 
ling this disease at present may be 
summed up in the one word, eradication. 
Citrus canker does not yield to treatment 
with any of the known fungicides, and 
the ordinary methods of combating fun¬ 
gus diseases will not apply to this one. 
Since the disease is so dangerous, it is 
folly to temporize with it. Being confined 
to comparatively small areas of the citrus 
section, the most logical thing to do> is to 
completely eradicate it while it is possible 
to do so. A few months or a year of de¬ 
lay may mean that the fight is lost. Erad¬ 
ication will call for the complete destruc¬ 
tion of all infected trees within the State. 
This will cause considerable loss to many 
growers, and probably no little expense to 
the State, but the amount spent now for 
the eradication of this disease will be noth¬ 
ing in comparison to the losses it will 
cause a few years hence, if it becomes 
generally distributed over the State. 
ON THE FIRING LINE BEFORE CITRUS CANKER 
Frank Stirling, Miami, Fla. 
Mr. President , Ladies and Gentlemen : 
After nearly twelve months of constant 
endeavor, day by day, in touch with the 
situation, we, who have been “on the fir¬ 
ing line and in the trenches before citrus 
canker,’’ are compelled to acknowledge 
that we are up against a foe well worthy 
of our steel. 
The story, how it has been and is being 
handled, should certainly be interesting to 
the Florida growers of citrus fruits. The 
facts now known regarding this plant dis¬ 
ease show it to be so virulent, so subtle 
and insidious, that one is almost led to 
believe it to be The Father of Evil himself 
and eleven months’ experience with it in 
the field teaches us that it can be con¬ 
quered only by using the most heroic 
methods. (Note Bulletin 124, Fla. Expt. 
Sta.). 
We still have just as much, possibly 
more, respect, or fear, of this disease as 
we have ever had. With some, the im¬ 
pression has prevailed that the disease was 
due to weather and soil conditions and 
would soon disappear of itself and hence 
was not worthy of serious attention. 
Some folks have said that this alarm, 
which has been sent out by the Inspector 
of Nursery Stock and the Florida Grow¬ 
ers and Shippers League, was uncalled for, 
that canker would turn out to be of a far 
