The evening leader. (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) 191?-19??, 1917-02-16
HOW TO CARE FOR
THE CITRUS TREES
INJURED BY COLD

Fruit growers and nurserymen have
an opportunity to take advantage of
the conditions created by the recent
cold weather to reduce the insect pests
and diseases of many kinds.
The shock which citrus trees have
received as a result of the cold will
make them exceptionally subject to at
tack by melanose, withertips, white
fly, scale-insects and other pests. By
proper measures, taken Immediately,
much of this secondary damage can be
prevented and many pests actually re-
duced. The fact that the injured trees
will need all of their remaining vital
lty in recuperating from the effects of
the low temperature is an added rea-
son why measures should be taken at
once to reduce both insects and FUN
gus diseases. These measures are sub
stantially as follows.
All fallen leaves should be gathered
up and burned. Past experience has
shown that frost-killing of the leaves
does not kill the whitefy pupae on
them; hence the destruction of these
leaves means the destruction, also, of
whitef1ies which will otherwise emerge
later on to infest the new foliage
which will appear in the spring. The
fungi which cause melanose, wither-
tip and scab are also present in the
dead and injured leaves, so that this
measure will greatly reduce future in
lection of the trees by these diseases.
In paintings where the trees are
small, or where sufficient labor is
available, it will be found profitable
to complete the defoliation by picking
off the injured leaves remaining on
the trees and burning these also.
Where less than ten per cent of fol-
iage remains alive, all foliage should
be removed. Where forty to sixty per
cent or over of the leaves remain alive
defoliation is not recommended, as in
this case the leaves are sufficient in
quantity to assist the tree in it's re-
covery.
All twigs and prunings should be
promptly burned, preferably as near
as possible to the trees from which
they were taken; namely, without car
rying them from one part of the grove
to another. To leave these prunings
is to invite excessive melanose and
withertip and, in properties exposed
to possible canker infection, an in
creased chance of canker outbreaks.
In all pruning operations shears,
saws, and knives, should be disinfect
ed after pruning one tree and before
proceeding to the next. If the opera
tor will go further and disinfect his
hands and arms, and even the coat or
overalls he wears, so much the better.
Similar disinfecting precautions
should be taken when defoliating
grove or nursery trees as suggested
above.
In citrus nurseries the cleaning up
of leaves should receive immediate
and thorough attention, and injured
wood pruned out as soon as the extent
of the killing by frost can be deter
mined, if quick recovery and nursery
stock free of diseases and scale-insects
is to be secured during the coming
season.
Fertilizers should not be applied to
injured citrus trees either improve or
nursery, until all danger Of further
cold spells is over with for this win
ter. With the passage of all frost
danger, however, the trees should be
well fortified and given; the best. Of
care to stimulate the most rapid
growth possible.
Regrettable as the frost damage is,
the conditions which have been created
by 1t offer the grower and nurseryman