INVESTIGATIONS OF THE DISEASE. 29 



over havinoj boon grown. One league in toward 8a])ana and half a 

 league to the east a few dead trees and a very few live ones appear. 

 Tliis region is a thriving district, bananas, coffee, and cacao being suc- 

 cessfully grown. Formerly coconuts were grown here. The ex- 

 treme eastern end of the high mesa is largely a waste land and extends 

 down to the seashore, stretching out 1;^ leagues to the extremity of 

 the island at Maisi. No crops whatever are groAvn on this ])lain. 

 The coconut growing of importance really stops at Mata. 



On the coast road between Mata and Boma the coconuts appear 

 to be tliriving. One continuous grove extends over the table-land 

 at an altitude of 75 to 100 meters with almost no sign of the disease. 

 Coconut gi'oves here are notably well kept, the underbrush being 

 cleared away and no other crops interspersed. The Bay of Boma, 

 wliich is midway between Mata and Baracoa, is bordered by coconut 

 trees free from the disease. The trees betw^een Boma and the River 

 Miel, just on the outsjdrts of Baracoa, were free from the disease 

 until the present year, some cases of its occurrence there now being 

 reported. 



After making a preliminary survey of the disease in Cuba the 

 writer crossed over to Jamaica, traveling all over the island to ascer- 

 tain the extent of the injury done by the bud-rot and to compare its 

 symptoms with those of the Cuban disease. From the eastern end 

 of Jamaica along the north shore westw^ard and down to the south- 

 west corner is an almost continuous stretch of coconut groves. They 

 are not by any means confined to the seacoast, but flourish inland 6 

 leagues from the sea at an altitude of 600 or more meters. From 

 Kingston by rail to Anotto Bay coconut groves appeared at intervals, 

 but in no case did there seem to be any serious disease. From An- 

 notto Bay along the coast to Port Antonio many coconuts may be 

 seen, some wdth bare trunks and stumps, but no appearance of bud- 

 rot. These stumps are said to be the result of a destructive hurricane 

 in 1903. Several specimens of diseased trees wTre examined at Port 

 Antonio. Two of these trees had the center of the crown entirely 

 missing, and merely a fringe consisting of the low^r leaves remained ; 

 these leaves, however, were still in their horizontal fresh green condi- 

 tion. The manager of the estate stated that the cause of this trouble 

 was lightning, but there was really no evidence that such w^as the case. 

 The very center of the crown was in a dry-rotted condition, suggesting 

 the work of insects. Many of the trees on one part of tliis plantation 

 were seriously injured by the scale insects, and on another part, on 

 a steep hillside, they appeared to be suffering from lack of watel", 

 judging from the extreme yellowing of the leaves. In none of these 

 cases did there appear to be any suggestion of the bud-rot. 



228 



