FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
61 
from the other. One tree, apparently 
just as healthy as another, is for some 
cause not yet understood, less resistant to 
this particular disease, and is therefore 
attacked; while the tree next to it may 
remain uninjured. 
Treatment —The treatment for this 
disease must vary according to the phase 
of the disease present. Blossom blight 
and dropping of young fruit may largely 
be prevented with Bordeaux mixture 
properly applied. In case of blossom 
blight one must spray directly into the 
bloom. The accepted belief is that Bor¬ 
deaux mixture will knock off the fruit if 
sprayed into the bloom, but in case of 
blossom blight one will do more good than 
harm by using it. Though it may knock 
off some fruit it will save more than it 
will injure. When the disease has gotten 
thoroughly into the tissues and is begin¬ 
ning to kill back the branches and to 
poison the wood tissue, more drastic 
measures must be employed. Prof. 
Rolfs’ experiments showed that the dis¬ 
ease could be best controlled at this stage 
by pruning out. This should be done by 
cutting out, not only the dead branches, 
but also the diseased weak branches for 
some distance back of the apparently af¬ 
fected wood. The poisoning effect of 
this fungus may extend to a considerable 
distance beyond the place where the fun¬ 
gus may be found, and it is advisable to 
get rid as far as possible of the poisoned 
wood. 
This treatment should be accompanied 
by a process of building up the trees to 
make them resistant to the further at¬ 
tacks of the fungus. Spotting of the 
fruit in the fall may also be prevent¬ 
ed by spraying. If it be near the season of 
the ripening of the fruit it is advisable to 
use the ammoniacal solution of copper 
carbonate. In using fungicides on or¬ 
ange trees one must bear in mind that 
one is also killing the fungi that keep 
down the scale insects. One must be 
ready to follow with an insecticide, or 
hang pieces of bark containing the scale 
fungi in the tops of the sprayed trees. 
These should be put in several weeks aft¬ 
er spraying has been done. 
foot-rot. 
Nearly every citrus district in the world 
has been troubled by the foot-rot. It is 
one of the oldest diseases of citrus trees. 
In Europe its history extends back as far 
as 1845. In Florida, according to Prof, 
Hume, it was first noticed about 1879. 
The disease is well described, and effec¬ 
tive methods of cure are given by Prof. 
P. H. Rolfs in Press Bulletin 96 of the 
Florida Experiment Station, as follows: 
“The first symptom of the disease that 
is noticed is the oozing of gum from 
wounds occurring near the ground. Later 
on, the gumming ceases and the 
bark dries, the portion that has become 
diseased breaking off. These foot-rot 
wounds, after they begin to heal, are so 
characteristic, that when once seen thev 
are rarely mistaken. The extent to which 
the wounds spread depends on a variety 
of circumstances. Sometimes they are 
very small, being not more than a frac¬ 
tion of an inch in diameter and more or 
less circular in outline; while at other 
times they may extend nearly or quite 
around the tree at the ground. In such 
cases the wound is of an irregular shape. 
“Remedy —Since we have known that 
the disease is infectious and understood 
6 
