The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1920-05-21
Farm Notes by the County Agent


From observation made in our
travels over the county, we are con
WINGED that the most serious ailment
of the hogs in the county at this
time is mango. Probably half the
hogs on the farms and in the woods
are suffering from this trouble. In
many herds it has caused consider
able loss OF the animals and has
checked the growth of all those that
have been effected. In our opinion
farmers do not realize what losses
athey really sustain from this source.
,4aany of them attribute the death of
those animals that succumb TO
cholera and consider that vermin are
responsible for the unthrifty condi-
tiOa of those that suffer for long
time with an irritated condition OF
the skin and finally recover. 1t seems
that some fail to see that the loss
from those recovering may be nearly
as great as from those that die, due
to the amount of feed consumed while
the hogs are effected and the extra
amount Of feed required after recovery
to overcome the stunted condition
caused by the sickness.
Mango is a parasitic disease of the
skin. and can be easily prevented, or
controlled by the liberal use of the
heavy oils, or coal tar products. The
simplest. easiest and least expensive
May to handle the herd is to make a
sand wallow and put a shed over it
to provide shade and to turn the rain
water The sand should be thrown
up into a bed and boxed in with
boards or a cement curbing so that
the rain water can not run in. Pour
crude oil (petroleuml literally on the
sand until the bed is thoroughly satu
rated. Allow the hogs free access 70
this wallow and they will soon learn
to like il about as we'll as they do
water hole and you will have moth
ing more to do but to keep the sand
saturated with the oil.
The most destructive insect to ci'-
rus groves in Florida is the white fly,
which now infestS nearly all the grow
as in the state and is known TO all
citrus growers. Il lives on the under
side of the leaves and draws heevilY
ON the sap of the tree checkiag its
G1owth and that 81 the fruit. On bad.
Nv infested trees the fruit is always
less and Of an inferior quality. Be
sides. the insect throws off a sweet
substance known as honey dew. wh!ch
falls on the leaves and fruit amt IN
which grows a black fungus called
"sooty-moldv This mold is favor
able to tie increase OF the scale in
sects and is nearly always responsible
for a heavier infestation of the pur-
pie scale. In addition. it makes neces-
sary the washing of the fruit before
il can be marketed TO an advantage.
Fortunately for the grove owner,
this pest can Be held in check by
both artificial and natural means. In
the spring and late fall a spray OF oil
emulsion can be used and during the
rainy season OF summer the benefit
of the parasitic fungi can be taken
advantage Of. BY proper and oDpor-
tune combination of these means in
> the control of the white fly the out
put of TIE citrus grove can be i'm
proved both in quantity and quality.
The spring application of oil spray
should be made this year from May
Is to May 80. The usual time is from
May TO NAV %. but this spring the
white fly is backward with the sea-
son and more than a week late. The
sooner the treatment is made now the
more effective it is likely TO be. but if
the young fruit is not yet as much as
three quarters of an inch in diameter
it will pay TO wait until the last CT
the month. Oil emulsion will cause
young, tender fruit to drop and it is
safest not to apply this until the fruit
is about one inch in diameter.
Next to the white fly in damage 20
citrus, comes the scale, which is con-
trolled by the same treatment that is
effective against the white fly. Third
In order is the rust mite. By adding
soda sulphur, or soluble sulphur to