36 E. J. BUTLER, 



palmyras and yet containing few cases of tlie disease. In Muchu- 

 milli, a village of Ramachendrapur Taluk, the disease had been 

 prevalent for about six years in palmyras before any coconuts 

 were attacked. Clumps of palmyras in which over 50 per cent, of 

 the trees have been killed are not uncommon, but nothing like this 

 mortality has been found in coconut gardens. Owing to the way 

 in which coconuts are cultivated in large gardens close together 

 and without admixture of other kinds of trees, very favourable 

 opportunities would appear to be afforded for the rapid spread of 

 the disease from the first trees attacked to those surrounding. That 

 this has not occurred may be due in part to the fact mentioned 

 above that there is less opening for accidental inoculation by the 

 palm cHmbers in coconuts than in palmyras, but probably depends 

 in larger measure on a natural resistance presented by this 

 species to the parasite. Only one experiment has been made which 

 goes to prove that infection of coconuts is less easy than of pal- 

 myras. A coconut palm and two palmyras were inoculated on the 

 same day. Examined after a month the former showed a small 

 patch of infection about half an inch in diameter and penetrating 

 less than half an inch of the thickness of the inoculated leaf-sheath, 

 the inner surface of which had not been reached. There had been 

 no obvious increase in the patch since the 8th day after inocul- 

 ation. In the palmyras the progress was much more rapid, the 

 inoculated sheaths showing large patches of disease which passed 

 right through and were continued into the sheaths lying below. 



Arecanuts are even less liable to attack than coconuts. The 

 largest number found in any one village within a limited period 

 was 17 at Billakurru in the second half of 1907. No experiments 

 have been carried out to investigate the susceptibility of this species 

 to attack. Arecanut gardens are not common and the disease in 

 this palm is of little importance. 



Palms of all ages are liable to the disease. The majority of cases 

 are mature trees. In many cases young trees from three to five 

 years old, growing under larger diseased trees, become attacked. 

 It is the custom to plant the nuts along the bunds or dry banks 



