86 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
used for freeing fruit from the sooty 
mold fungus. (2.) In the course of our 
investigations on the scaly bark disease 
it was noticed incidentally that Bordeaux 
mixture was effective in preventing the 
appearance of the smoky fungus, if ap¬ 
plied at the proper time of the year. One 
spraying, about the first of October, kept 
off the smoky fungus and did not cause 
sufficient increase in scale insects to injure 
the appearance of the fruit. Two or 
three sprayings, however, during the 
summer, caused such an increase in the 
number of scale insects as to materially 
injure the fruit, leaves and small branch¬ 
es. This increase in scale insects was 
due to the Bordeaux mixture having 
killed the fungi that were parasitic upon 
them, thus giving them immunity from 
their fungus enemies. When spraying 
ro prevent attacks of smoky fungus it 
may be suggested that the solution should 
be applied, as far as possible, only to the 
x ruit. The spray should be kept away 
from the larger limbs and the trunk, 
where the beneficial fungi are usually lo¬ 
cated in considerable .abundance. A weak 
mixture, consisting of three pounds of 
quicklime and three pounds of copper 
sulphate to 50 gallons of water may be 
used. 
CONCLUSION. 
After all has been said in regard to 
diseases and their treatment, it remains 
true, as is well known, that a grove prop¬ 
erly cared for is not half as liable to 
disease as one that is neglected or mis¬ 
treated. Just as good sanitation and 
more healthful surroundings have been 
found to cut down the death-rate in a 
community of people, and prevent to a 
great extent, the spread of contagious 
disease; so the proper treatment of a 
grove will have a similar effect on the 
health of the community of citrus trees. 
The year after a vigorous grove of 
trees has borne an unusually large crop of 
fruit, is the time when the trees are 
quite apt to become diseased. At sucn ^ 
time a grove should receive unusual care 
because of the strain that was put upon 
it the previous year. Some diseases at¬ 
tack even the most vigorous trees in a 
grove; but the rule is, that weakness 
from any cause predisposes a tree to the 
attack of parasitic fungi or bacteria. The 
old saying, “An ounce of prevention is 
better than a pound of cure,” could be 
re-stated by the citrus grower as. “An 
ounce of brains, scattered through an 
orange grove is worth more than a pound 
of Milestone put on as Bordeaux mix¬ 
ture.” Yet there are times when the 
pound of bluestone may be necessary to 
correct conditions over which the ounce 
of brains has had no control. 
Prof, fawcett (In reply to ques¬ 
tions)— 
It is very important to remember, 
that scaly, bark was with us for forty 
years, as near as we can find out from the 
old growers, but did not cause much 
trouble until the withertip made its ap¬ 
pearance. 
I think you all recognize the fact that 
a tree that is well cared for is more resis¬ 
tant than a tree carelessly cared for. 
The first year we used .Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture the scale came up by the thousands, 
but the second year we put on limbs bear¬ 
ing the scale fungi about four or five 
days after the spraying was done. During 
the second year very few scale insects 
