120 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

CITRUS CANKER IN THE GULF COAST COUNTRY, WITH NOTES ON THE EXTENT OF 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 , 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 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 . 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 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. Four At Port Arthur and at Nona, 40 miles or five oranges, on a sw et orange tree north of Port Arthur, there is an exten­ capable of bearing se eral boxes of sive nursery business consisting largely fruit, were found infec d with canker. of citrus. Satsuma's appear to be the prin­ One of these oranges ha at least a dozen. cipal variety of citrus planted and these cankers on the rind, whi e the others had do well here. The writer had the privi­ only two or three. lege of sampling SOlne satsunla fruit that h'ad hung on the trees all winter and No citrus 'canker was found at Nona, found it excellent. Thi3 was on March although trifoliata seedl· gs from infect­ 24th. ed territory at Port Art ur had recently been planted there. At Alvin and vicinity there are exten­ sive plantings of satsumas, but some At Alvin the disease as found on : oranges, and , all on tri­ Duncan pomelo-Ieav s and twigs; foliata roots, have also been planted. Citrus trifoliata-twi s; An extensive nursery business, principally Dugat orange-leave only; citrus, is also carried on. On account Villa Franca len10n leaves and twigs of a heavy rain setting in, only about one­ (small trees exposed to isease among C. half day could be spent here in looking T.) ; about. Ponderosa lenlon~le ves (small trees Brownsville, McAllen and San Benito, exposed to diseases am g C. T.) ; in Southern Texas, were next visited. Cit­ Kum,quats~not rus trifoliata roots fail in this part of foun infected. Texas and sour orange roots are mainly To what extent citru canker is gener­ enlployec1. Many young citrus trees are. ally distributed in the lvin section was being planted and the nurseries at Mc­ not determined, since, a previously stated, Allen and San Benito are prospering. All excessive rains inte fered \vith the this, notwithstanding the fact that citrus wr.iter's getting about. in Texas was seriously injured by cold in None of the citrus anker was found 191 I. Sour, bitter-sweet, and other citrus in south Texas. A full day was spent in­ seedlings appear to thrive well in Bro\vns­ specting trees at Brow sville, but only a ville, and while commercial plantings in few hours each, bet\vee trains, at McAl­ this part of T·exas are generally irrigated, . len and San Benito. ot finding any of seedling trees in :house yards at Browns­ this disease in south T xas, nor at M1ata­ ville thrive without it. In general, it is moras, Mexico, dispos s of the surmise apparent that Texas intends to continue that it might have bee introduced from in citrus culture. Mexico. ----~---~--::.:,;.,;------;.------

12,4 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

MATAMORAS} MEXICO. worst of it, however, is the manner in which it affects the fruit. Judging by Several hours were also spent at Ma­ the few that have come under ob­ tamoras, acrosse the Rio Grande River servation, it app'ears safe to es_timate that from Brownsville. Several dozen orange at the very least one-half of a trees, apparently all sour ~eedlings, were crop would be made unmarketable or re­ examined about the tow~, but no citrus duced to culls, although probably not canker was found. ruined for eating, ~s the cankers are only VARIETIES INFECTED AND INJURIOUSNESS skin deep. It requires no extensive mathematical knowledge to discern that Citrus canker has now been observed this disease may cause losses aggregating on .the following varieties and of millions of dollars, if not eradicated. citrus. The order adopted is according It must be admitted, on the other hand, to the degree of infection observed. that, after all, we i11ay know but little Pomelo, or grapefruit, is 'most seriously about the effects of this disease. There infected and heads the list. When fruit has been no opportunity to observe it in or twigs are not nlentioned tha.t sitnply larger trees bearing considerable quanti­ indicates that .no observations have been ties of, fruit. The fruit available was made: sent in by correspondents, and the writer Pomelo-Ieaves, twigs, fruit; himself found only one small specimen C. T.-Ieaves, twigs; of grapefruit in the nursery at Monti­ I{ey , or -Wild Lime-leaves, cello, but all of these had dozens of can­ twigs; kers on the skin. rhe pamela trees at Navel-fruit, leaves, twigs; Grand Bay, Wiggin's, and .L-\.lvin had no Sweet orange-leaves, twigs, fruit; fruit on them at the titne'of exanlination. . Satsuma-leaves, t\vigs; ,While it is quite apparent that oranges -leaves; are far less susceptible, it is also appar­ Mandarin-leaves; ent that a large percent would become King orange-leaves; spotted and have to be. sold as culls. The -leaves, t\vigs; few fruits on a sweet orange tree at -appear to be ilnmune. Port Arthur, Texas, previously referred' The greatest danger froin this disease, to, indicate this. for Florida, lies in the fact that it is prin­ cipally. a pomelo disease. As already ORIGIN OF CITRUS CANKER. stated, it attacks the twigs of these trees The evidence at present indicates defi­ viruently, resulting in, a putting out of nitely that it was imported from. Japan . more twigs, thus overloading the trees on C. T. seedlings, and probably on other with small branches. It is also 'virulent in citrus. K. Saibara, of the Saibara Nur.. the manner in which it affects the leavesj series, Mobile, Alabama, stated that he spotting them, 'causing them to turn yel­ saw the disease first, in 1911, .on trees low and dropping prematurely. The imported from Japan and planted in Tex- FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 12 5

. as, but had never seen it in Japan. W. CAUSE OF CITRUS C. Griffing, of Grand Bay, Alabama, first This has been recently deternlined by saw it on C. T. seedlings fronl Japan, in Professor H. E. Stevens, of the Florida Texas. Mx. J. Klumb, Manager of the Experiment Station, to b a . Mississippi Farms Company, of Wiggins, Miississippi, first saw it in 191 I on C. T. THE SITUATION IN FLORIDA seedlings imported from Japan. T·hat all All the infected stock at Monticello, of .this disease in Florida has not been except a small isolated lock, has been sent to us directly from Texas is made dug and piled ready to· e burnt. The clear in a letter just recently received from small ,isolated block just referred to has J. H. Giradeau, Jr., who imported the C. been cut back to stumps a d sprayed with T. Seedlings for {two of ~he infected Bordeaux mixture und r the writer's plantings at Monticello. He writes: "I supervision, and the own rs will spray it remember' the blocks of trifoliata stock several times more. you' mention, and these were imported T'he infection at Silve Palnl has. been stock, directly from Japan." repeatedly treated with ordeaux mix­ To what extent citrus canker is pre­ ture, but some of the dis ase can still be . valent in Japan is not known. That it is found. Arrangements re being per­ there, was'recently .del1lonstrated beyond fected to cut back all thi stock to single doubt by the receipt of specimens of this stems or stumps and pai t it with 2-2-2 Bordeaux, or per cent carbolinium. disease on leaf"and rind of navel orange, 50 The Florida Growers and Shipper's directly from Japan. Professor B. F. League, of which Mr. loyd S. Tenny Floyd, of the Florida Experitnent Sta­ is Secretary-Mlanager, a e raising 2,000 tion, received these specimens during the dollars to assist in disc vering new in­ middle of May, from a Japanese Plant fections and to advise "ith the owners Pathologist at the Kyu-shu Laboratory, as to the proper methods to' be employed Imperial Agricultural Experiment S~ation, for eradicating ,th~m. I is planned to Kumamoto, Japan. They ~ere labeled place a regular deputy, nder the direc­ "scab," indicating that citrus canker has tion of this offic·e., but pai by the League, hitherto been mistaken for citrus scab by In the field for this pu osee He will the Japanese. That is exactly what hap-­ begin to make this ins ection in south pened in this country-the first speci­ Dade County, and later i other parts of ) m·ens of canker sent in were diagnosed as the State where infectio s are suspected. Shipment of citrus sto It into Florida, "scab;" and. it was only when anabun-' from infected localities i the other Gulf. dance q,f material became available that States, have been made, nd it is planned the writer successfully prevailed in his be­ to look these up as soon as possible. At lief that the dise'ase was not citrus scab least two nurserymen in Alabama have (Cladosp'orium citri). furnished the writer wit a list of their 126 FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'

shipm,ents into Florida during the past h'ow?" I tried to explain to him what it year or two. was. They are still laboring under the de­ ception over there t~at it is nothing but sour scab. But Mr. Dickson's attitude is DISCUSSION. not exactly what it should be. Perhaps Prof. Rolfs: I would like to ask he has cooled clown in the n1eantime. I whether Dr. Berger has with him, that \vin read his telegram to you: some\vhat acrimonious telegram trom Texas to read to us, to see what the pea-, "Houston, Texas, April 12th, 1914. pIe say about his Rule 43. "E. W. Berger, Dr.. Berger: As soon as I returned from "Horticultural Board, of Control, Texas 'and the Gulf Coast States and "Tallahassee, Fla. l11ade my report to the State Board of "Barring Texas ·Citrus stock from Flo­ Control, they immediately passed Rule rid/a account new disease regarded un­ 43 which, I presume, wil1, go down in his­ friendly believing new disease no more tory of Florida horticulture, perhap~ as a dtangerous than your c'itrus soab and othe~ land'mark, absolutely prohibiting the inl­ Florida citrus diseases will force us to portatiol1 of all citrus fruits from those revise present regulations which in all states; not only from those states, but probability will bar Florida citrus nur- · generally. Some proVlision, h'owever, is sery stock from Texas. The conditions made t,hat small quantities of rare varie­ ~n Florida have always justified such ac­ ties may be imported, through special per­ tion. If Flof'ida should forget her obli­ mit. That special permit is myself and gations and bar Texas citrus stocks, Flo­ the Board, and we may prescribe the re­ rida nurseries will feel the effect of our strictions under which they may be new rules kteen.1y, as Texas is their most brought in. We may require thetTI to be profitable field of operations." I believe grown for a year or two in quarantine be­ in regulation but not in destruction. fore the tree is' given the freedom of the "SAM H. DICKSON, Chief Inspector.}} state. I, of course, took pains to let the~e peo­ I do.not think·that it is necessary for ple know just what I was th'ere for. I me to l11ake many inore remarks after did not .want them to feel that I was that. I do not think our Florida nursery­ spying on them. I wanted them to know men are depending. for thcir livelihood on that I was looking up' this disease. I let Te.xas, just now. Florida's first obliga­ the Chief Inspector of the State'of Texas tions are towards herself ;towardsherbig­ know, and on the morning the Board was gest industry, the orange and grapefruit about"to go into session at Tallahassee to industry. W'e a,re \vithinour rights, and adopt Rule 43, I received this telegram Mr. Dickson shoots far from the mark from Mr. Dickson. I saw Mr. Dickson ,vhen he speaks of retaliation. It is not while in T,exas and he said, "What dis­ a question of retaliation; it is a question ease is it that you are looking for any- , whether we hav~ a good reason why we FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURA'L SOCIETY 127 take this step. The Board of Control and Dtr. Berger: Can yo tell us, Prof. myself saw that we had a good reason. Rolfs? We were backed up by the Growers' Prof. Rolfs: \",re are orking to find League and others whose influence meant out what the fungus is be ond all doubt, much, and they told us they regarded our before we say anything d finite about it. intended action as the thing to do, and Dr. Berger: Prof. Ste ens is workt!ng it was done. on that, but his experime s are not com­ Mlr. --: I would like to ask if there pleted, so that he is read. to go out and lsimil~rity is any between the citrus scab say "so" is "so." spores and the spores of the canker, when examined under tIle microscope.