FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
117 
SPRAYING PROBLEMS 
It is absolutely false economy and a 
great waste to pour expensive fertilizer 
and cultivation into grove parasites 
whether they be either of animal or veg¬ 
etable nature (insect, spider, fungus or 
bacterium). Therefore to get maximum 
returns on the use of fertilizer, careful 
cultivation and cover-croping, we must 
give special care and attention to the 
spraying and pruning work in the proper 
handling of our grove. There is no doubt 
that far greater importance is to be paid 
in the future to the economical importance 
of melanose and withertip action in our 
groves and the control of these two very 
important diseases and their other named 
manifestations on the fruit of citrus (an- 
thracnose, melanose, rusting and stem- 
end rot), by depending on Bordeaux oil 
spraying supplemented by pruning out of 
the dead wood. Bordeaux is always to be 
considered as the ideal fungicide and far 
superior to lime-sulphur in any form or 
strength. Though lime-sulphur gives good 
control of citrus scab, in every case Bor¬ 
deaux is far more effective in the com¬ 
plete control of this fungus parasite; at 
the same time, however, Bordeaux is 
equally effective against our many para¬ 
sitic fungus friends that prey on white fly 
and scales. Still it is doubtful if a mixed 
spraying schedule is as effective and prac¬ 
tical under average seasonal conditions as 
compared to a complete spraying schedule 
being adapted including Bordeaux oil, 
lime-sulphur oil emulsion paste, lime-sul¬ 
phur and oil emulsion and the use of nico¬ 
tine sulphate when required. 
PRUNING PROBLEMS 
Though pruning does not bear the ma¬ 
jor importance in citriculture as compared 
to fertilizing, cultivation and spraying, its 
intelligent practice is indispensible in the 
care of commercial groves. 
I always believe in a low headed tree; 
it saves steps in the picking ladder, shades 
the ground well and protects the tree trunk 
against possible cold. No limbs should 
actually sweep the ground. 
Dead wood should be kept out of the 
trees at all times as far as possible, though 
I do not consider that “pin feather prun¬ 
ing” is necessary if Bordeaux-oil spraying 
is practiced, it being only on the dead 
wood that melanose and withertip pro¬ 
duce spores. 
All sucker growth below and above the 
bud should be kept down. 
I believe that it is best to keep down 
and cut out interior badly shaded twig 
growth in the heart of the tree, thus elim¬ 
inating shady harboring places for light 
objecting citrus insects (scales and white 
flies) and greatly increasing the efficiency 
of thoroughly applying sprays in our 
groves. 
Broken and crossed limbs should be re¬ 
moved where possible and practical. 
Pruning citrus trees can be practiced at 
all seasons of the year when it does not 
greatly interfere with the crop of fruit. 
With a new set tree let nature put forth 
every effort to restore the top and there¬ 
by eliminate a great shock by letting all 
growth remain above the bud for the first 
year, or at most only remove growth very 
close to the ground above the bud. 
