FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
135 
That there must be connection (actual 
contact) before infection. 
At the same time we know that sour 
sap is a fermentation and the nature and 
very inertia of fungus growth the very 
lowest order of vegetable life. The way 
—an opening—an abrasure—to allow 
either to enter into the very life blood of 
this highest type or order of the vegetable 
kingdom must have been open, because 
the bark, by nature, is designed to pro¬ 
tect from outer influences, then the cause 
of this abrasion or break in the bark could 
only be determined by the collection 
of many specific cases to determine 
the one general type or factor as 
the cause. I say unreservedly that 
in every case there was plainly to 
be seen generally a small root over¬ 
lapping and binding (as cording a 
limb or finger of the human body) the 
large and rigid root, thereby stopping, 
impeding the natural flow and circulation. 
Now it behooves you to conceive of the 
force exerted, not by a normal flow of 
sap, for the law of compensation would 
adjust such conditions, but an abnormal 
flow produced by over ammoniacal ap¬ 
plication of fertilizer and cultivation fol¬ 
lowed by heavy rains, and it is easy to 
conceive the great force to be exerted at 
any given point under such conditions to 
produce the break or abrasion, thereby al¬ 
lowing the entrance of these foul enemies 
to their well protected berths to despoil 
upon the very life blood of the tree unto 
its death. 
Now, I am here to say that, of many 
cases, dozens of them and covering a 
period of fifteen or sixteen years, there 
was present in each and every case, this 
binding, cording of larger and rigid roots 
by very much smaller ones, (even to the 
size of a pencil) and upon closer investi¬ 
gation, readily to be seen that the contact 
was the beginning and seat of the trouble. 
You can readily see that every contribu¬ 
tory cause, taken in connection with our 
coarse and porous sandy soil that suffers 
the tree to the excesses of the seasons, 
when it is dry it is very dry, until it en¬ 
dangers the very life of the tree, and then 
in a few days the reverse nature would 
take care of those conditions if there had 
not been applied the rich ammoniacal ferti¬ 
lizer to help sustain the tree and bear the 
fruit during these ordeals of drouth, and 
vacillating between the two extremes is 
where the danger lies and the abnormal 
conditions arise. 
Now, you cannot make a seedling tree 
or grove be as remunerative as a budded 
tree or grove unless you treat and push 
them with highly ammoniacal fertilizer. 
There is the paradox; unless the cause is 
removed, and in removing the cause you 
have a preventative. 
I think there is enough difference to 
warrant separating into three classes: 
First, where it affects the crown roots, 
near the surface and the ordinary clean- 
ine the dirt from the crown roots will ef- 
face the trouble and this embraces the 
majority of cases, but if you do not find 
the conditions present on the major crown 
roots, and there of course you must ex¬ 
ercise your judgment as to whether you 
have reached the seat of the trouble, if 
not keep digging and come to the second 
class. 
Second, where it affects the roots be- 
