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some trees have been almost stripped of their bark, and from the 

 appearance of the limbs now, it looks almost as though it were the 

 work of slugs. Mr. Graham, however, is strongly of opinion that 

 a caterpillar was the cause of the trouble. I recommend the trees 

 being dusted with Paris Green, should the trees be again attacked. 



With regard to the harm done by Fiddler bugs, I am still some- 

 what sceptical of the harm done by these to really healthy trees. 

 I have not yet been able to find a tree believed to be killed by 

 these ; which was free in my opinion from contributory causes. 

 If Fiddler bugs can attack the roots of healthy orange and cocoa 

 trees, then these industries are not worth ten minutes' purchase. 

 I found trees which were in very bad health and on which the 

 Fiddler grubs had been feeding ; now if these trees are examined 

 casually, it is a nice easy way out of the difficulty, immediately a 

 grub is discovered, or traces of its presence in the past, to lay all 

 the blame on the Fiddler bug, when as a matter of fact, I found 

 that in nearly every case it was almost certain that the tree had 

 been suffering from two or three other causes, each sufficient to 

 nearly kill the tree independent of the Fiddler bug. 



Perhaps the largest number of the Cocoa trees attacked by Fid- 

 dler bugs are those growing in the upper parts of steep fields, 

 where the fertile soil has been washed away to the lower parts of 

 the field, the increased fertility of the lower parts of the field and 

 the consequent luxuriant growth of the trees there are followed 

 by the starvation of the trees on the upper parts. These trees al- 

 ways had their roots " eaten by Fiddler grubs." The luxuriant 

 ones never. In many places the trees were found to be buried very, 

 very deep. The digging of trenches, the making of roads, are 

 often responsible for the heaping up of the soil as much as 

 eighteen inches round the stems, this with or without the help of 

 Fiddler bugs spells only one thing, and that is death. 



Trees too are often buried too deep by labourers weeding, being 

 often first chopped by the hoe and then they are covered up with 

 a large quantity of soil. I think these may be safely looked upon 

 as first causes, while I admit that the Fiddler bug in these cases 

 certainly does help to aggravate the evil by eating off the bark of 

 the unhealthy trees, but I much doubt if trees suffering from the 

 causes I have mentioned, would ever be useful trees, even without 

 the harm done by the Fiddler bug. 



Why I say that if the grub of Fiddler beetles attacks the roots 

 of healthy trees, the cocoa industry is doomed, is that at Mr. 

 Lockett's at Kendal for instance, on one small pimento tree were 

 enough Fiddler beetles to furnish 6 for each cocoa tree on the 

 property, and if the whole of the damage done to the dying trees 

 can be attributed to the one grub usually found at its roots then a 

 very small percentage of the beetles will be enough to furnish 

 grubs enough to kill all the orange and cocoa trees in the island. 

 I may add that Mr. H. Q. Levy, and Mr. R. L. Young have for a 

 long time had the matter under careful observation for me, and 

 quite agree with my view. 



