The Florida agriculturist., 1889-03-20
For THE FLORIDA AGRICULTURIsT.
Spraying for the Rust Mite.

Some time in February, 1888, l wrote letter to
the AGRICULTURIsT in which l stated something
to the effect that you could not prevent rust by
anything you might feed to the roots; that the
rust was an external disease-an insect-and that
an external application was the only way to cure
or kill the insect. l also stated that groves on
Lake Harris were swarming with rust mites in
consequence of which gave it as my opinion that
these groves would not bear much fruit the COM
ing year, as could not see how the trees could
feed such numbers of insects and grow O crop of
oranges. 1t looked to me a thing impossible,
and we all know it when the thing is past. These
groves that for years had been bearing over 900
boxes Of oranges this year did not bear more than
1900, and 1900 of these were in corner by the
lake~where the rust did not reach the year before
l talked to the owners until my tongue was thick,
and gave them the AGRICULTURIsT containing
my letter to read, not letting them know that
wrote it, but still they would persist thatfertiza-
tion, and nothing but fertilization, would remedy
the rust. And now, at this late hour, find Mr.
Mott coming out in opposition to the squirt-gun
and advocating remedy fertilization. A tree
plant kept in good growing condition is not
very much subject to insects, but let the insects
get possession all the fertilizer that was ever
made will not kill either rust mite or scale
1t afforded me great pleasure to read Mr.. Shep-
herds letter. and beg to add my mite on the
sulphur side and would inform such of your read
ers as are willing to give up their sinful ways
and come to the sulphur side that they can dis
solve sulphur in potash; when dissolved mix in
forty gallons of water with eight or nine pounds
of whale oil soap. You will require an iron pot
to properly dissolve the sulphur and also to
properly dissolve the soap. This leaves the solu-
ton nice heat to apply to the tree and if you have
the good fortune not to have any rain for week or
ten days any eggs that may hatch in that time
will certainly die of starvation the tree will be
coated over with the mixture, which need not
say is found by the juvenile rust mite and scale to
be very unpalatabe. But should it rain in that
time and another swarm of rust mites appear,
please do not condemn wepoor benighted sulphur
men, for certain it is that the application properly
made and put on when warm will, in every case,
kill every living rust mite it touches.
have used five balls of potash, one pound OF
sulphur and nine pounds Of whale oil soap on
trees that swarmedwith both rust mite and scale,
and after one application / could have defed a
Riley or any other professor OF entomology to
have found living insect, and very, very few
leaves dropped. This application would iniure
small trees; four balls OF potash would he strong
enough for small trees year set out For trees
OF this age the dissolved sulphur might be left
out North we used sulphur undssolved scat
tered under bushes and certain plants to drive off
insects This did it's work well if the season was
favorable, but if a cold wet summer, it did no
good for the reason the sulphur did not get de-
composed and sent up through the bush in the
shape of sulphuric acid gas. Now l think there
would be mistake any summer in Florida
about the sulphur getting decompOsed as it re-
quires heat and moisture.
intend to try the dry sulphur on the ground
under the trees. II this succeeds it will
be just the thing needed for. fertilizer
friends, for then they will be able to and say
they knew that fertilizer would do it. My! what
brands of sulphurated fertilizer will be sold after
that, and what explanation about how the roots
take up the sulphur and how they perform with
it, and then pass it on to the oranges, which will
in due time get to our delicate palates which will
save us from a lot of sickness, as sulphur is and
always was great purifier of the blood / beg,
after this attempt at buffoonery, to respectfully
invite Mr.. S. p. Shepherd to join me in trying
scattering sulphur under the trees say in June
Tt is unpleasant to be hampered with squirt-gun
when up in a tree top. VITIcUs
For THE FLORIDA AGRICULTURIsT.
The Usefulness of the China Tree.