The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1888-01-02
Rust OF the Orange.


A writer in the Florida Agriculturist. in
letter from Leesburg, in that State, in
speaking OF rust on oranges, says of all
orange growers with whom he has talked
he has found scarce one whom he could con
vince that it was an insect that caused the
rust; sonfS Of them think that by proper
cultivation and fertilizer they can overcome
It, They might as well try to drive heas
from dog by giving him an extra bone as
to try to drive rust from their groves with
extra fertilizing. No, sir; there is nothing
but an external application will do it. There
was one gentleman whose whole crop last
year some 1900 boxes was made unshppa-
bic by the rust mite.n This year, continues
the writer, this same gentleman has no crop
at all, L suppose for the reason that the rust
mite has so devastated his trees, as l hold
that the rust mite Injuries his trees none
bearing) almost as much as the scale in
sect.
In my town | did not find single grove
that was not swarmiug with rust Groves
that never had it before unless a box or so)
this year have not single tree free from it.
estimated that there would be not less than
10000 boxes of rusty fruit, that was bright
last year, and that this means dollar box
less-$20, 600; and as l am quite certain my
figures are within the mark, is it not of vital
interest that this enemy of ours should be
banished or kept in check! but when the
grove owners are so bent in their belief that
it is not an insect, what is to be done9 One
would think with papers like the AgricuI-
turist, as thick as hail in the country, that
all would be well posted. There are two
gentlemen l met with that are taken DIS au-
thority on all matters appertaining to orange
growing; one of these / found little doubt
full about its being ar insect. The other
gentleman | have not interviewed yet but |
am trying to do so, for if l can get one of
them into the belief that it is really an in,
sect, ard he gives it out as such, the rust
will have to go; but until then am doubt
full in some quarters.
l have given you low estimate when l
say that there are in the groves | visited
$4,000 more boxes Of rusty oranges this year
than any previous year, which means, as |
have stated. $4,000, Well, now, what
would have been about the cost of
keeping the rust from this 10000
boxes! This is rather a hard matter to
settle the actual cost, for the reason that
the material used is the best of all fertilizers,
and one would have to calculate the differ
ence between taking your fertilizer round in
cart or wagon and spreading it with a
shovel and squirting it on the trees with a
pump, and as l did not give mathematics
much study when was at school | will
leave that for some of your readers to settle.
AS have made up my mind that the rust
can, if not banished altogether, be kept so
much in check that its injury will be mini
mixed and at a cost so small as not to be
mentioned when one thinks of the loss the
rust mite is causing, l feel certain in my
mind that unless the matter is taken in hand
next summer, next years crop will be as
black as tar and not worth shipping. Be
heving this is the apology make for trou-
bling you for space in your much esteemed
paper