Citrus Canker in the Gulf Coast Country, with Notes on the Extent of Citrus Cvlture in the Localities Visited

120 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY CITRUS CANKER IN THE GULF COAST COUNTRY, WITH NOTES ON THE EXTENT OF CITRUS CVLTURE IN THE LOCALITIES VISITED E. W. Berger~ Mr. President) La,dries a.nd Gen-tlemen: proxin1ately another 80,000 trees more or When no longer any reasonable doubt less exposed to the infection. This was remained but that a new citrus disease ,all nursery stock. Suffice it to state here had made its appearance in Florida, that that certificates, permitting any of. this at least one infection had been sent to stock to be sold, were promptly \vithh~ld, us from Texas, and specimens were re and treatment reCOlTIlUended, thus practi ceived from Alabama, it seemed pertinent, cally placing the infected stock in quaran this spring, that some one should make a tine. In each instance the information visit to the Gulf Coast country for the then available was to the effect that the purpose of getting some idea of the dis seedlings used for roots had com:e from tribution and seriousness of this new dis Texas. This proved true, however; only ease. Efforts to elicit definite infornlation for the sour seedlings used at Silver Palnl, by correspondence had failed, as 110 one which came frOlTI Port Arthur, Texas. .A seemed to know an"ything definite about reeent letter from J. H. Giradeau, Jr., for it. "V'hen the writer broached the desira merly a nurserynlan at Monticello, states bility of such a visit before the State that he ilup'or(ed the C. T. seedlings, used Board of Control at their meeting in at Monticello, directly from Japan, about March, it became at once a foregone con February, 1910. clusion that he would be sent to make the Leaving Gainesville, F~orida, on the investigation. morning' of Mlarch 14th, the afternoon To better bring the situation before was spent at Mont'icello to again look .. you, this brief recapitulation is inserted over the situation there. The places visit here: The new" disease, 110\V known as ed hl other states. were Auburn, Mobile citr'tts canker) had been disco~red in two and GraJ}d Bay, Alabama; Biloxi, Gulf far separated localities in Florida. Near port and Wiggins, Mississippi; New Or Monticello in West Florida, the writer leans and PIappy Jack, Louisiana; Port had found it in about 20,000 small nur Arthur, Noma, Alvin? Brownsville, Mc sery trees consisting of sonle satsluna anq Allen and San Benito, Texas; and Mata pomelo on C! T. (citrus trifoliata) roots moras, Mexico. and some C. T. stock. Near Silver Palm, south Dade County, Mlr. E. V. Blackman, ALABAMA D'eputy Inspector in that-county, had dis At the Board of Trade rooms in Mo covered it in about 20,000 pomela and bile, the writer was informed that one and som·e oranges, all on sour roots, with ap- one-half million trees had been planted FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 121 during this season on sOlnething over stock, satsuma, pomelo a d oranges were . 13,000 acres, in the vicinity of Mobil~, found. This stock was rought to Mo Grand Bay and other places. .-' bile from Alabama, Miss ssippi and Tex Along the L. & N. Ry., toward Grand as, to be sold and reship ed. Traces of Bay, one sees creditable plantings here citrus canker were noted n this stock, es and there, ranging from a few acres to pecially on pamela and sa suma. perhaps 20 or 30. At Grand B~y the At Grand Bay, citrus canker was in acreage must be estimated by the hun evidence in every place .visited, in the dred. These trees are, all on C,. T. roots nurseries as well as in t e groves. The and consist prim'arily of satswna, with most serious infection a curs in a small some pomelo and sweet orange. The grove of 1000 grapefru t and satsuma oldest plantings appear to be 4 or 5 years trees, known as the J uve alGrove. The old. oldest trees were planted I bout two years The fact that two nursery companies ago. The pamela in this rove is most in from Florida; the Griffing Brothers Com fected and badly crusted \vith canker on pany, and Miller and Gossard, have each the younger growth..' t appears that _established nurseries in Alabanla, pres these trees are being reta ded and forced ages something of what the extent of cit to put out an excessive unlber of small rus planting may become.' A large part branches which become iseased. Some of the supply of trees now COlnes from treatln.ent ,vith Bordeaux ixture and de Florida, Mississippi and Texas. foliation had been made but ap,parently Seedling trees, whether sweet or sour without much success. 0 fruit was on orange, the largest probably 10 to 15 the trees (M,arch 17th) It should be years old, were visible here and there in noted here that the illu tration of dis house yards. Some hardy hybrids \vere eased pamela (grapefr if) in Bulletin the only citrus trees seen at Auburn. 122, Florida Experimen Station, came from this grove. In Alabama, the writer first stopped at Auburn, in order to consult with the Nur MISSlSSIPP sery Inspector and. Plant Pathologist of the College and Experiment Station. Dr.' Judged by the number f small nurser Wolf, Pla.nt p'athologi'St, had just re ies listed for Mississippi· hat offer citrus turn'ed from the Mobile section with defi stock for sale, the extent of planting cit nite information as to the. extent and lo rus in that state must· e ·considerable. calities infected. He reported the disease These are mainly along t e line of the L. at Mobile, GrCl:nd Bay, Axis and Fair & N. Ry., at such places a Orange Grove, hope. Pascagoula, Olcean Spri gs, Biloxi and At Mobile and Grand Bay, everything Gulfpol!t. An occasion 1 planting may that Dr. Wolf had reported ,vas verified. be visible from the railr ad. At Biloxi, At the shipping, grounds of the Saibara plantings to the exten of perhaps 60 Nurseries in Mobile, carloads of nursery acres \vere visited, with resulnably hun- 122 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY dreds of acres lying farther out. The The Lake Shore L.and Conlpany,' through largest planting visited was at Wiggins, Synlmes, Means, and Chandler, agricul 30 miles nort.h of Gulfport, where thous tural engineers, is carrying on these ands .of ac'res of cut-over pine land are operations, and plans to set out a large being put on the nlarket; there is already acreage of citrus on trifoliata roots. Thir a new planting of something Hke 60 ty ·thousand budded trees had just been acres and a nursery here. The plantings pla~ted, besides a nursery of 250,000 tri in Mijssissippi are on C.T. roots and con .foHata seedlings, obtained from Arcadia, sist mainly of satsuma, with sonle pamelo Texas. It is planned to sell this land and and sweet orange. A 4o-acre grove near plantings in small tracts to settlers. Biloxi had many satsuma trees over 10 Below New O'rleans, on, the M,ississippi years old. The oldest trees at Wiggins River, considerable citrus has' been were planted three years ago. planted. Trees I to 14 or I5 years old T·he writer searched for citrus canker were seen at Happy Jack. At ,this point only at Biloxi and Wiggins and found it the Louisiana Orange Groves Com only at the' latter' place. The disease is pany, of which Mtr. Geo. H. Penn is well established there and only'the most Pre3ident,has a splendid grove of· about drastic measures will ever succeed in 70 acres consisting of sweet· oranges, na eradicating it. Th·e degree of infection of J different varieties at Wiggins is as fol vels, mandarins, and pomelo. Trees on lows: sour orange roots appear to be doin'g bet Pamela-leaves, twigs, fruit; ter than trees on trifoliata roots, although C. T.-Twigs, no leaves or fruit pres..: . some splendid trees on the latter roots, ent; on better drained land, were in evi Navel-leaves, twigs, no fruit noted; dence. Between Happy Jack and New Med. Sweet-noted on leav·es only; Orleans, a particularly fine citrus grove Parson Brown-leaves, fruit, twigs; belonging to Mr. R. S. Moore, was Satsuma-leaves, rarely on wood. noted at Naomi. Beyond Happy Jack, When fruit is mentioned in the previ- farther down the river, more extensive ous list infortnation was furnished by the plantings of citrus were reported. manager and foreman. The manager Citnls canker was not found at Happy further informed me that he first noticed Jack. On Lake Pontchartrain it is more the disease in 191 I on C. T. seedlings than likely that it will soon be in evidence. from Japan." A~ the latter place extensive shipments LOUISIANA of stock have been received from Texas, Near New Orleans, on the south shore where citrus canker is common, particu of Lake Pontchartrain, about 7,000 acres larly the 250,000 urifoliata seedlings of land 'have been reclaimed by diking. previously. noted. The writer found Two large pumping stations have been citrus canker on a budded tree from erected to pump off the surplus water. Texas, but could not prolong his search FLORIDA STATE H9RTICULTURAL SOCIETY 123 sufficiently to identify it on the 250,000 At Port Arthur, citr s canker was trifoliata seedlings. present in the principal l1ursery there. Pamela, trifoliata, swe t orarige, sat TEXAS SUllla, nlandarin, tange ine, all except kUlllquat, wer'e found ·nfected.

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