108 TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO BULLETIN. [XIX. 3. 



Coconut Diseases. 



The study of Ccconut Palm Diseases has been continued in various 

 parts of the Colcny, including Moruga, Ceclros, the North-eastern 

 district, and the neighlourhood of Port-of-Spain. 



The great diflBculbj of the investigation arises from the variety of 

 the aflections n:et with. A fresh locality, instead of alifording further 

 •evidence bearing on the t3'pcs already- seen, frequently exhibits a new 

 tyjDe of its own which is not easy to correlate with previous observations. 



TLi-i statement refers particularly to the class of affections usually 

 lumjjed together as " Bud Piot," which is nowadays revealed as too 

 vague a term to carry any real significance. The putrefaction of the 

 bud, which marks the death of the tree, may follow on a gradual or a 

 rapid failure of the leaves beginning with those on the outside, like that 

 which occurs in the Eed-ring disease, or it niay take place with very 

 little visible preparation. In many cases the suggestion is strong that 

 the bud rot is secondary in its nature, again as ia red-ring disease, 

 and that the cause of failure maj' Jiave to be looked for in the soil 

 or roots. 



This, it will be remembered, was the conclusion reached by Stockdale 

 and Rorer, except that they associated with root disease the symptoms 

 of the red-ring disease, which we now recognise as distinct. With 

 the cases of that affection removed however, there does remain an 

 important residue of trees affected by what may prove to be a root 

 disease or diseases. As regards bud rot proper, restricting the use of 

 the term to actual infections in the crown of the tree, I should not be 

 surprised to find that it is of comparatively rare occurrence. Cases do 

 come to notice from time to time of infections among the leaf bases 

 Avhich respond, if taken in time, to local treatment. The type of bud- 

 rot due to Phytophthora originally described from the East and recently 

 by S. F. Ashbj' in Jamaica has not been met with here to any extent. 

 Advantage was taken of ]\Ir. Ashby's recent presence for a few days in 

 the Colony to show him examples of the local affections.* These he did 

 not recognise as belonging to types studied by him in Jamaica. 



Until a good deal of further attention has been given to the subject 

 it will not be possible to advise with any degree of certainty as to the 

 proper treatment of disease of the nature referred to. The policy of 

 cutting down and binning the trees is a safeguard against infection from 

 bud rot proper, but it is of no particular use so far as the disease may be 

 due to an affection of the roots. 



Experiments are in progress to determine with certainty the mode 

 of infection in red-ring disease, which continues to cause heavy losses 

 of young bearing trees in various parts of the Colony. Its distribution 

 is very irregular, some estates appearing to be almost entirely free from 

 it, in a way which suggests that the source of the seed nuts maj' be the 

 deciding factor. 



The " little leaf " disease is widely distributed and though nowhere 

 very abundant attracts attention as one travels the roads of the Colony. 

 This affection is curable at any stage, the treatment bein? to clean the 

 crown, to open out as far as possible the bases of the central leaves and 

 jJour in a disinfectant. For this purpose dilute Jeycs' Fluid, ck a dilute 



