THE DISEASE IN THE WEST INDIES. 23 



for this disease. Mr. William T. Ilorne, until recently chief of the 

 Department of Vegetable Pathology, has published a summary ' of 

 his investigations at the experiment station at Santiago de las Vegas 

 and at Baracoa. His chief work has consisted of a search for a 

 remedy for the disease, or means of controlling it. Search for a 

 remedy has been prosecuted to some extent both in Cuba and in 

 Jamaica, and the considerations of this aspect of the case will be 

 (hscussed later. 



As early as 1891 Mr. W. Fawcett reported a serious disease of the 

 coconuts at Montego Bay, near the western end of the island of 

 Jamaica. Since that time he and one of the agricultural instructors, 

 Mr. W. Cradwick, have carried on investigations of tlds disease, 

 giving more of their attention, however, to the study of methods 

 of treatment than to ascertaining its cause. They have reported the 

 disease from so many districts that it may be desirable to quote from 

 their reports and correspondence. 



Yesterday I inspected the coconuts at the railway station at Montego Bay. I find 

 that the trees ai-e dying there from rotting of the terminal bud in the same way that 

 they are at Blue Hole and other places. * * * From my observations of yesterday 

 I feel sure that the work is commenced by scale insects and the rot communicated by 

 them. It does not start on the young flower sheaths, but on the old undeveloped 

 ones; from these the rot spreads to the young flower sheaths, from these to the heart 

 or terminal bud. (Dated Nov. 25, 1902. Unsigned, but kept in the files of the 

 botanical department at Hope Garden.) 



I cut down coconut trees at each place (Hopewell, Hanover, Sandy Bay, and Jericho) 

 and fully succeeded in convincing the small settlers that my theory regarding the 

 dying of the trees was the correct one. * * * I strongly advised them to cut down 

 and burn any trees which were already in such a state as to render recovery impossible. 



On Thursday, the 29th, I also visited Try-All estate, and with Mr. Brown cut down 

 a coconut tree. This was a young tree apparently about 12 years old which had not 

 long commenced to bear, growing on a hillside about 200 feet above sea level. It 

 looked quite healthy, except that the nuts were dropping, but when we cut down the 

 tree we found the rot had just reached the leaf bud and the youngest leaves were 

 rotting. 



The disease is evidently spreading. Trees are dying from Hopewell village to 

 Green Island, but chiefly from Hopewell to Lucea. Some trees at Hopewell village 

 were among the finest I have ever seen — about 7 or 8 years old, with the largest stems 

 I have ever seen — just commencing to fruit, yet they were dying, one by one, from the 

 rot of the heart leaf. 



Trees are also dying at Barbican and Mosquito Cove, but I had not time to examine 

 those closely. 



At Sandy Bay and Jericho they are also dying. 



There is quite a grove of young trees near Ramble, the property of Mr. Hudson. 

 These are comparatively young ones, and are, I am afraid, doomed unless something 

 can be done for them. (Dated Dec. 4, 1902. Unsigned, but in the files of the botanical 

 department at Hope Garden.) 



» Home, W. T. The Bud Rot and Some Other Coconut Troubles in Cuba. Bulletin 15, Estacitfn 

 Central Agronomica de Cuba, July, 1908. 

 228 



