31 



been reaching the Botanical Department of Jamaica, from certain quarters 

 for some time, that the amount of this so called bastard wood was increas- 

 ing. The cause of this lack of haematoxylin in certain trees was one of 

 the problems T was requested to investigate and consitlerable time was 

 given to it. The facts ascertained are as follows : * 1st, logwood is a varia- 

 ble plant showing marked differences in form, colour, and texture of leaf, time 

 of blooming, form and extent of the ribs on the trunk, colour of bark and 

 of especially in the colour and dye-producing quality of the heart wood. 

 Four well marked varieties are said to be recognized in Honduras aud three 

 are usually recognized in Jamaica, but there are many other intermediate 

 forms. 2nd. Bastard wood is not the result of disease or of any lack of 

 vigour. The trees producing it are perfectly healthy and normal. 3rd. It 

 is not the result of soil or climatic conditions since bastard anl normal 

 trees are found growing side by side under absolutely identical conditions. 

 4:th. It is not the result of immaturity. Aged trees may produce bastard 

 wood while in normal trees the heart wood as soon as formed contains a 

 good percentage of haematoxylin. These facts seems to point to heredity 

 as the probable cause of the trouble. That is that certain trees produce 

 only bastard wood because they grew from the seed of a bastard tree ; or 

 in other words that bastard logwood represents a variety of Haematoxylon 

 campechianum that normally produces little or no haematoxylin, just as 

 one Honduras variety has smaller, shorter, thinner and lighter coloured 

 leaves. Experiments now in progress at Hope Gardens, Jamaica, and at 

 the New York Botanical Garden with seedlings from the seed of bastard 

 and of normal trees should in time settle this question conclusively. In 

 any event it seems a matter of minor practical importance since apparently 

 not over one or two trees in a thousand are of the bastard variety. No 

 data was obtained to show whether or not the trouble was increasing as 

 claimed by some An inrirease could be readily accounted for by the fact 

 that on many estates a tree that is chipped iuio and found to be bastard 

 has been allowed to stand and produce continued crops of seed while the nor- 

 mal trees have been cut down on reaching maturity. A wise policy would 

 insure the prompt destruction of such trees whenever detected as they have 

 no value except for firewood, and should not be allowed tu produce seed. 

 It is unfortunate that there seems to be no constant difference in leaf or 

 trunk by which these bastard trees can be distinguished, that would allow 

 of their still earlier destruction. 



Coco-nut Bud Disease : — Outbreaks of a serious disease of coco-nut trees 

 have occurred in Jamaica at various times. Some years ago the groves in 

 the neighborhood of Moutego Bayf were badly injured by it and the in- 

 dustry was completely destroyed on the Grand Caymau| Island, probably 

 by the same trouble. At present it is attracting but little attention al- 

 though numerous cases of it exist widely scattered over the western end 

 of the Island, a few being observed as far to the eastward as Port Antonio. 

 It was not observed to the east of a line between Port Antonio and King- 

 ston. One of the first symptoms of the disease is the dropping of the im- 

 mature nuts. In some cases the lower clusters hang on and reach matu- 

 rity but usually all fall off. The leaves droop a little, and become some- 

 what yellow. Often those that are just unfolding are seen to be dis- 

 torted and blackened on the e<lges. The young flower buds still envel- 

 oped in the spathe, rot, and finally the central leaf-bud rots and the entire 



* I am under obligation to Dr. Emil Bucher, Superintendent of the West India 

 Chemical Works for much information in regard to Logwood. 



t iSee Bulktm of the Botanical Departmenc, Jamaica, Sept., 181)1. p. 2 

 X See Bulletin of the Botanical Department, Jamaica, Feb., Ia89, p. 3. 



