56 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
sequently, the black fungus flourished bet¬ 
ter last year than the red-headed. I think 
it is a good plan to have both of these 
friends in our peach orchard. 
In this connection, I might say that 
the long scale of the citrus is also severe¬ 
ly attacked by these two^ fungi. In addi¬ 
tion to these we have the white-headed 
fungus which Mr. White has been using 
for several years with the greatest satis¬ 
faction to him and those people who are 
watching the operation. 
Mr. Hudson—Will someone please tell 
us how much time is required for apply¬ 
ing the fungus before the scale is dead? 
Mr. Grilling—Until last January or 
February we were afraid that the experi¬ 
ment was going to be a failure, but when 
the scale came out this spring it soon dis¬ 
appeared. 
Mr. Hart—I have talked so much on 
this subject that I am a little modest about 
saying more. It does do me so much 
good to hear Mr. Grifflng get up and 
talk about the nerve it takes to try the 
experiment he has been trying and found 
successful. That very nerve I have been 
preaching and urging on all my friends 
for the past twenty years. I am pleased 
beyond measure tO' know that so many 
are adopting the natural and rational 
method of controlling injurious insect 
pests, and when Prof. Gossard stated at 
the Miami meeting that over 50 per cent, 
had adopted these methods I felt like rest¬ 
ing the case and letting it go on. I be¬ 
lieve you are on the right track, and will 
do all I can to encourage it. 
Mr. Skinner—How about the natural 
enemy of the rust mite ? Has it got any ? 
Mr. Hart—^I have found quite a num¬ 
ber of these and have been careful not 
to drive them away by spraying. I never 
sprayed for the rust mite. I am not thick¬ 
headed enough to say that I would never 
spray under any conditions, for that 
would be foolish; but I would not spray 
until I had tried almost everything else, 
even should dire disaster threaten in some 
new form. 
Mr. Hampton—Let me tell you how I 
treat my trees for the rust mite. I powder 
the dry Bordeaux on the trees, and it 
keeps my fruit nice and bright. I have 
not given up spraying altogether, but find 
it injurious in many respects. I had much 
rather put the dry powder on than to 
spray it. I have also used the dry sul¬ 
phur. 
Mr. Hart—In my crop this year there 
was but a small part of one per cent, of 
rusty fruit. In fact, I did not pack a sin¬ 
gle box during the season. 
Mr. Hampton—^As I understand, your 
grove is in a hammock or in dark ham¬ 
mock soil. I have found that on light, 
clay soil the oranges will be more in¬ 
clined to be rusty than on the dark, clear 
soil. Now, I would like to know how 
that holds good with the balance of your 
experience. 
Mr. Hart—I think you are right in 
that. We all know that by covering the 
gTound with mulch it will do away to 
a great extent with the rust. The rust 
mite does not like a direct, strong light 
or reflected light. If you can cover the 
ground in some way, you can do^ away 
with a good portion of the rust mite. 
Mr. Hollingsworth—I never see results 
without looking back in an effort to locate 
the cause, and I have wondered if the 
climatic conditions have not had a great 
deal to do with the disappearance of the 
scale. I can think of nothing else to lay 
it to, and I think that the radical seasons 
