Gainesville daily sun. (Gainesville, Fla.) 190?-1938, 1909-12-27
auMMosIs oF oITRUs LIE.
Press Bulletin 1874 Florida Agrieul-
tural Experiment Station.
(By H. s. Fawcett.)


This disease has been reported
from many parts Of Florida during
the past two years. and inquiries are
constantly being received as to its
treatment. It appears to be most COM
mon on the East Coast. The trouble
has been known in Florida since 1902,
when It was first called gum dis
ease;" but 1t has not assumed con-
siderable Importance until within the
last two or three years. The cause
Of gummosis has not yet been shown.
There Is strong evidence that it is
an infectious disease, and that it may
spread from one tree to another in
a grove.
Descriptlon--The diseased parts Of
the tree are usually at a considerable
distance from the ground, or the
trunk or larger limbs. being rarely
found on the smaller branches or
twigs. The disease first makes itself
apparent by the oozing out of a thin
wGtery gum, which sometimes runs
down the bark in lines, forming
tears This gum comes from a
crack or rupture in the bark. Later
on, the gum thickens and collects in
large quantities at the cracked
places in the bark AS the disease
progresses, the bark cracks still more,
and assumes scaly liberated appear
ance over the patches few inches
TO foot or more In length. The dis
eased patches may extend entirely
around the limb, or may be confined
to one side of a branch. Gum may
continually ooze out all over the affect,
ed areas, or the cumming may cease
for a time and the old gum be wash
ed by the rain This will leave only
a scaly appearance which may easily
be mistaken for scaly bark--a name
that has already been applied to
different trouble, found mostly On the
West Coast. In cases where the gum
mosis is not too severe, new bark is
formed under the old; and the sur.
face becomes marked by ridges,
warts, and demonstrating deposits,
resulting from the hardening of the
gummy exudations. In severe cases
the bark dies to the wood. and the
wood decays inward, often destroying
the limb of the entire tree.
Distinctions From scaly Bark and
Footrot Gummosis differs from scaly
bark in the following points. Gum.
mosis does,not affect all the tree from
the trunk to the smallest twigs as
does scaly bark; nor does It spot the
fruit. 1t does not appear as round
or oval mail head rust spots, red
dish rusty on the branches and dark
brown on the fruit, as does scaly
bark. Gummosis presents scaly
shaggy appearance on the trunk and
larger limbs, almost Identical with
oNole huAht BNl HUNS tue iAtIhh VI
the small twigs and fruit, and usually
more gum Is exuded.
Gumosis may be distinguished from
footrot by the following characters
Gummosis almost never occurs at the
base OF the tree; nor does gum ooze
from near the ground. as in fOotrot;
and II does not usually have the sour
putrid odor that accompanies footrot
acknowledgements may be sue
eessfully checked In most cases by
scraping of the outer diseased bark,
and painting the places over with
Avenarius' carbOlineum. In preparing
for the application Of the carbollneum,
care should be taken to scrape OF
all the old dead bark. II there are
any decayed places, these should be
carefully cut out with a sharp knife
or ohisel. Carbollneum has been used
In fun strength without injury. II
new diseased spots occur on the edges
OF the old ones during the next year,
the treatment should be repeated
-----------