The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-05-14

LOT, MT. HART SdlU
DISEASES AND INSECTS OF THE CITRUS.
Mr.. President and Members ofthe Florida Horti-
cultural Society:
will state here that Mr. Pratt, a member
this committee, and who is connected with the
Orange Growers Union and the Exchange in an
official capacity, is unable to be at this meeting
and DR.. Neal, another member. is doing the duty
of three men, SO he is not here. We have never
had meeting since we were put on the commit
tee, and therefore had to make the report my
self with very little he p from them. / do not
know whether they would endorse my report or
not. and therefore offer it as my own and not of
the Committee.
AS chairman Of the Committee on Insects and
Diseases of the Citrus, and the only member
present, have the honor TO present the following
report R-T
Your Committee have seen fit to confine their,
labors to the investigation of foot-rot and blight
on the orange, considering them, at present, the
most destructive enemies of the orange grower
within the Jurisdiction of this committee
l regret to say. however, that up to date they
have made comparatively little progress, al
though it is hoped that what has been done may
lead to valuable results later We are more
thoroughly convinced than ever that these dis
eases worthy of careful study and that any light
that may be thrown upon their cause symptoms
and remedies, from whatever source it may come,
will be boon to the orange growers of this State.
Prof. j. c. Neal, of your committee, being
expert microscopic, has been supplied by the
other members with specimens of diseased bark
and wood for examination and experiments. He
writes
LAKE CITY, FLA. April -, 1890.
w. s. Hart, Esq;
DEAR SIR-Yours of the 18th, with enclosure
from Hon. E. Willis, received as well as a letter
o week ago.
have utterly failed to inocculate orange trees
here with the virus of the "gomar,' or the blight
obtained from DR.. Platt. l obtained a tree from
LimOna, but it had been unskillfully packed and
it was dead, and all attempts at cultivation
have failed "budded" some shoots with infect
ed wood but the freeze and killed trees, buds
and all, so that has failed still think the dis
of a fungOid nature, but thatwe have not hit
upon the means of studying it best.
I made sticks of the wood for the microscope
1000 inch thick, but aside from peculiar dusty
appearance of the cells if filled with Spores
cannot make out anything that corresponds to
any type OF blight yet studied or described.
| am too busy now to do much with this but
hope to obtain start of diseased wood from
you next month and resume my studies.
[ will not be able to make out any report for
the Florida horticultural Society. nor can be
present, much as l desire to do so. I am acting
as entomologist, bOtanist and hOrticulturist for
UQo SUdClO0 anu UodCu TWO hours d. udy Ill Uu0 COL
lege and have little spare time. After June 1 can
have more leisure for experiments. This is very
disappointing, especially to me.
Very respectfully, D. e: NEAL.
We have also correspondent with the Hon. Ed
win Willetts, OF the Agricultural Department at
Washington, and he has also tried to inocculate
trees with the virus from the infected wood that
we have sent him, but SO far has been unsuccess-
full He writes: specimens OF blight have also
been sent me from other points in Florida, but so
far have utterly failed to find the fungus men
toned
This quoted from memory, as I have not the
letter at hand. He gives me to understand, how
ever, that the Department will take hold of the
matter with more earnestness in the near future,
and make special study of these diseases.
In conversation with Rev. Lyman Phelps upon
they both cause the Clogging of the flow of sap
by minute fungus which follows and feeds upon
microscopic scale insect. In blight the pores of
the bark OF the smaller limbs filed by the roots
of thisfungus until the limbs die by strangulation
New sprouts putting out from the trunk are soon
alta cked and go in the same way until the whole
tree succumbs from exhaustion.
In foot-rot there is strength to send the sap
back to the collar of the tree where it becomes
damned up and fermentation sets in. In souring
the sap sexudes in spots and running down on
the out side in the cambium layer, kills the
bark and wood as it goes.
He recommends as an effective remedy.
LIST 70 IF M II 1nbo 70