COCONUT INDUSTRY IN WEST INDIES 115 



taken should be given a good dressing of lime 

 and should be well forked over. As a further 

 precaution, the infected area should be isolated 

 by a trench two feet deep and two feet wide, the 

 soil from this being thrown on to the infected 

 land. When the trees have been dug out and 

 burned, the land should be allowed to rest for a 

 year, and then supplies should be planted. Atten- 

 tion should be paid to cultivation and drainage 

 on any estate on which root disease makes an 

 appearance. 



Stem Bleeding Disease. The symptoms of 

 this vary somewhat according to the age and 

 nature of the trees attacked. In general, cracks 

 appear on the bark, from which a brown viscid 

 liquid oozes, that soon turns black and leaves 

 a dark stain on the bark. On cutting away the 

 cortex near the crack it is often found that the 

 tissue has decayed and become soft and watery. 

 In some cases the outer layer of tissue falls off, 

 leaving a hole filled with fibres. In other cases 

 spiral cylindrical hollows are formed running up 

 and down the stem ; while in extreme cases the 

 whole tree may be rendered hollow to within 

 two or three feet of the terminal bud. This 

 may occur even when only a few bleeding 

 patches are visible externally. The disease does 

 not necessarily cause the death of the tree, and 

 its effect on the crop is usually small, at any 

 rate for a time. Its importance lies principally 

 in the fact that trees, weakened by the presence 



