78 
FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
anges, grapefruits, tangerines, lemons, 
and sour oranges. It attacks the fruits 
usually at the stem end but may under 
some circumstances enter at other places. 
It may be transmitted from diseased or¬ 
anges to healthy ones by contact or by 
soaking them together in water. The 
fungus may infect oranges through a 
stem at least three inches long. Oranges 
may be infected by placing them in water 
with soil from under trees from which 
decayed fruit has fallen. It takes from 
one to three weeks after infection at or¬ 
dinary temperatures for symptoms of the 
•decay to appear. 
The probabilities are that the fungus 
has spores or aggregations of hyphae by 
which it is carried to the oranges while 
on the tree. It is probable that the fun¬ 
gus infection may be easily prevented by 
spraying with some fungicide early in 
the season. It is quite probable that any 
new infections after packing can be pre¬ 
vented by a fungicide in the washer. It 
is also quite probable that we will find 
that it is influenced by some climatic or 
weather conditions or some weakened 
condition of the trees. This is about the 
sum of our information and probable 
theories at present. As we come to learn 
more about the habits of the fungus and 
the conditions that enable it to attack the 
fruit we will probably be in a position 
then to suggest an effective remedy. 
DISCUSSION. 
Prof. Hume: I have heard a good 
many discussions on the subject of dis¬ 
eases of plants, but I do not remember 
to have heard a clearer and more intelli¬ 
gent paper than that we have just listened 
to. I must say that the subject of stem 
end rot has been most admirably han¬ 
dled. 
Mr. Hart: I would like to ask if, when 
you are treating oranges, it would not be 
best to do' it before they go in the washer. 
It seems to me that the experiments would 
indicate that if there were any spores on 
the fruit, they would infect any of the 
fruit that goes through the washer. 
Mr.Temple: I think I can give you a 
little information on that point, having 
had more experience probably than any¬ 
one in the State. It would be very well 
to treat this fruit before it goes through 
the washer or cull it from the sound 
fruit, if there was any way you could 
tell just what fruit was affected, but it 
comes into your packing houses seeming¬ 
ly perfectly sound. I have packed it and 
let it stand in the house, and in twenty- 
four hours the box would be a perfect 
mass of pulp. 
One way you can tell is to cut the or¬ 
ange in half from the stem end down, 
but it would be pretty serious if you had 
to test all your oranges that way. If 
you cut the orange at right angles from 
the stem end to the blossom end, you will 
find a little mealy white speck which looks 
very much as though the fruit had been 
frosted; then there is a slight brownish 
discoloration, and the fruit has a decided¬ 
ly spoiled odor, but from the outside of 
the orange you could not tell to save your 
life whether the fruit was or was not 
affected in this way. 
We were almost ready to start pack¬ 
ing oranges in the fall when two of our 
