28 HISTORY AND CAUSE OF THE COCONUT BUD-BOT. 



cured. However, investigation of the grove in August, 1909, and 

 again in 1910, revealed the presence of many more diseased trees. 



The adjacent land to the south and southwest of the harbor of 

 Baracoa is at the mouth of the River Macanagigua, and within a few 

 years past this land was completely covered with groves in excellent 

 concHtion. It is now a scene of the greatest desolation, many trunks 

 standing without their crowns, and many with only a few leaves 

 remaining upright. Following this valley inland the same scene of 

 destruction is found. The slopes and the summits of the hills imme- 

 diately between tliis valley and that of the River Duaba are covered 

 with dead or dying coconut trees. In the Duaba Valley, at a point 

 about 9 kilometers inland, there appeared during the year 1907 a 

 number of cases of the disease which is now making great progress in 

 the destruction of these excellent groves. 



Turning back to the harbor of Baracoa one will see groves in devas- 

 tation, not only on the south shore, but also on the eastern side of the 

 valley. Here are several hundred cases where there were perhaps 

 only two dozen two years ago. To the east of the town of Baracoa 

 two large groves have been completely destroyed. A small grove of 

 about 400 trees, having only a dozen cases two years ago, is now prac- 

 tically worthless, all of the trees being infected if not destroyed. 

 Still farther east, along the River Miel, the same scene of destruction 

 presents itself, there being a hundred or more of the bare trunks still 

 standing and very few trees with green crowns. 



The inland road from Baracoa east to Jamal runs 1 to H leagues 

 from the coast. It is well bordered by coconut groves which appear 

 to be flourishing and show no signs of the bud-rot. From Jamal 

 toward the coast the disease occurs in a few trees among many good 

 ones. In a plantation on the hillside at Guirito many of the trees are 

 dead or dying. From this town on toward the coast there are still 

 many good trees, but at Mata Bay nearly all the trees are dead, and 

 hundreds of headless tree trunks are standing. Many with the yel- 

 low tops yet remain, but only a few have green crowns and are bear- 

 ing nuts. This description a])plies particularly to the south and 

 east of Mata Bay. On the highlands just above Mata, at Guandao, 

 a coconut grove, which formerly produced 12,000 nuts a month, now 

 produces only 3,000. The trees that still remain are all bordering 

 the shore, those that were inland having been destroyed. This estate 

 has been replanted, and so far the young trees are doing well. 



From Guandao to Yumuri, by the shore road, many dead or dying 

 coconut trees appear, and the industry is at present of little impor- 

 tance. At the Yumuri River the land rises abruptly to a height of 

 200 to 250 meters to a broad table-land. About Yumuri, formerly 

 a good coconut region, there is now little evidence of any coconuts 



228 



