SECTION III. — HISTORY OF THE BLIGHT IN TRINIDAD. 35 



1906. 



From the records obtainable the blight seems to have made its first 

 appearance at the end of August and in September (second brood of 

 adults) and broke out again in October (third brood). 



The flat lands round the Guaracara River in the Naparimas, the 

 Couva district, and the Northern Section were the worst infested. At 

 Harmony Hall the Manager reported 80 acres badly blighted by the 

 middle of September and in mid November "the canes have had a 

 further check owing to bad weather." 



In the Couva District the blight was prevalent throughout Waterloo 

 Estate in September and there was a "slight recrudescence in old ratoons" 

 in October. At Brechin Castle according to Mr. Arbuckle "When riding 

 through the estate the froghoppers when worst (3rd brood) got 

 entangled in the horses' manes by dozens" and 160 acres were lost com- 

 pletely. Forres Park Estate lost nearly 250 acres (Sargeant 1907). 



At Caroni according to Gilbert (1909) a considerable acreage 

 suffered very badly. "Some never recovered and the crop was almost 

 entirely lost." At Orange Grove there was a severe outbreak and Urich 

 (1906) mentioned the green muscardine as common here in mid -Sep- 

 tember. 



According to Carmody (1909 B) the blight was spread over a larger 

 area in 1906 than in 1907 and 1908, The crop grown this year was 12,000 

 tons below that of the previous year. 



1907. 



The blight appears to have been bad again this year although I have 

 been able to collect few observations. Apparently it started with the 

 first brood. 



The crop in this year "suffered perhaps more severely than any 

 previous one" (Tripp 1908). 



In the Couva district, according to J. Black, it started at the end of 

 June to July ; in August "the froghopper pest seems to have absorbed 

 all the vitality from the ratoons," but by November they had almost 

 entirely disappeared (J. Knox). 



Barrett (1907 A.) visited the Couva district on 18th and 19th July 

 and reported froghoppers abundant, but believed root fungus to be 

 responsible for 90 per cent, of the damage. 



At Caroni, according to Gilbert (1908), it was again very bad, 

 especially in the ratoon canes, though none actually dried up as in 1906. 



1908. 



Urich (1918 C.p.l8) says that this year and 1912 were the most 

 severe outbreaks that he had seen. Carmody (1909 B) says that the 

 pest had been "increasing in numbers since 1906." 



The damage was apparently much less in the Naparima district and 

 •Carmody (I.e.) states that the "most serious attacks since 3 906 had been 

 confined to the Caronj Basin, Couva, and Chaguanas." Wiiterloo and 

 Exchange both reported blight as prevalent and canes damaged ; but Brechin 

 Castle produced one of the best yields per acre ever obtained, and three 

 fields on this estate badly damaged in 1906 and 1907 were free in 1908. 



In the Chaguanas district (Woodford Lodge) Urich (1913 C.p.lb) 

 records Wight in October, November and December. 



