120 



disease but, until recently, it has not been considered to be very 

 destructive. In June, 1905, Mr. A. Busck of the United States De- 

 partment of Agriculture visited the Cedros district and reported 

 that it was a disease of a virulent character and should betaken in 

 hand at once. 



From evidence taken it would appear that the disease is at 

 present worse in some of the smaller estates in the Guapo dis- 

 trict, but similar conditions were noticed in some of the northern- 

 most estates of the Cedros district. There are reasons for 

 believing that the disease in these districts probably became 

 prevalent, at first, in the clayey hollows of the northern Guapo 

 district, whence it has spread southwards into the Cedros district. 

 It would further appear that it is gradually working further south 

 becoming first noticeable in those portions of the estates that are 

 least favourable to coco-nut cultivation and afterwards spread- 

 ing from these areas to other portions of the estates. 



At Cocorite and Laventille, a large number of trees have been 

 killed by this disease, as also have several at La Brea. In all 

 these districts the distribution of the disease seems to have been 

 influenced greatly by unfavourable soil conditions produced by 

 neglected cultivation. 



The interlands* of Mayaro show a fair amount of this disease, 

 more especially in the low-lying, poorly drained clayey soils. 



It has also been reported from the Toco district but as condi- 

 tions there are supposed to be similar to the Mayaro district, 

 these coco-nut estates were not visited. 



In all cases the disease was found to be the more prevalent on 

 soils of a clayey nature, especially on those that were badly 

 drained. It occurs also on sandy soils but seems to take a longer 

 time to destroy the tree, and I am of opinion that it has spread 

 on to sandy areas from the clayey hollows usually present in the 

 coco-nut districts. 



In the Guapo and Cedros districts, where the disease is the 

 worst, death of the trees appears to be very rapid. Three or four 

 months is generally the time that intervenes between the first 

 external symptoms to the death of the tree and usually within 

 another three months a ring of diseased trees is noticed around 

 the dead stump. In Mayaro the disease is much less prevalent 

 and the death of diseased trees does not take place so rapidly, 

 for in places where two trees are growing from the same hole, 

 the death of the second usually takes place from 9 to 12 months 

 after the death of the first. 



The distribution of this disease appears to be fairly general 

 throughout the coco-nut districts and considerable loss has been 

 experienced in the southern end of the island. 



20. The aggregate injury throughout the colony must be very 

 considerable, but it is only in a few localities that serious loss 

 has been experienced. 



* This term has been applied to the lands under coco-nut cultivation some dis- 

 tance inland form the sea, those that are not directly on the sea-shore. 



