FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
the law that they have got to quit it, and 
report it to me. 
I can’t reach the whole state. I know 
there are some of those men down there, 
but I can’t get everywhere. I have made 
one hundred inspections myself since 
July. We have a few deputies who made 
another thirty-eight. We have no dep¬ 
uty at Fort Myers. I am not always able 
to get desirable men to take charge of 
that work. 
There are those contraband nursery¬ 
men, and if you will simply get after 
them and let them know they have to 
abide by the law, you can do more in 
generating respect for the law and keep¬ 
ing the people from spreading insects than 
I can, though I am trying to do all I can 
with the modest means provided for this 
work. 
115 
There are boat lines at Fort Myers that 
are snapping their fingers at the law, and 
carting stuff up and down that river as 
they please. I did have one reported to 
me, advertising seedling stuff in the Fort 
Myers papers. I have written to them, 
and have no answer. It is one of the boat 
lines leading out of Fort Myers. Get 
after them, gentlemen, as well as expect 
me to get after them. (Applause). 
Mr. Hume: I suppose this discus¬ 
sion might be prolonged at this point, 
but perhaps it is better to bring up 
some of the topics Dr. Berger is touch¬ 
ing upon when we come to his paper. 
I shall now call on Mr. Yothers for 
his discussion on the rust mite and its 
control. 
THE RUST MITE AND ITS CONTROL 
W. W. Yothers, Bureau of Entomology, Orlando, Fla. 
Mr. President, Ladies and Gentlemen : 
This pest was originally described by 
Ashmead in The Florida Agriculturist, 
September 1879, 
The literature on this mite is very mea¬ 
ger. The only account of any conse¬ 
quence is given by H. G. Hubbard in his 
“Insects Affecting the Orange,” on 
pages. 105-120 inclusive. The other 
references in literature to this pest are 
largelv taken from this account. 
This species is widely distributed, being 
found in California, where it is known as 
the Silver Mite, in Hawaii, Mexico, Ja¬ 
maica, Cuba, Australia, and of course in 
Florida. It has been recorded from Phila¬ 
delphia and New York, where no doubt 
it infested citrus trees growing in green¬ 
houses. Up to 1887 it had not been found 
in Italy, but no records are available 
showing its occurrence since that date. It 
is not definitely known if it occurs in In¬ 
dia. I have recently talked with several 
entomologists who have traveled in the 
Orient and they are of the opinion that 
it is either not present, or if so is extreme¬ 
ly uncommon. 
This mite is very tiny, being scarcely 
visible without the aid of a magnifying 
glass. When extremely abundant on 
either the leaves or fruit it resembles a 
