248 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



Mr. Stockdale, one would also have to believe 

 that a large portion of an estate in the Mayaro 

 district (a very important producing centre in 

 Trinidad, W.I.), or isolated patches affected 

 with disease in the Icacos district, had been 

 planted with immature nuts alone, for else- 

 where there was not a single diseased tree. 

 From experiments previously mentioned, there 

 can be no doubt as to the fungoid nature of 

 the disease, and measures for combating its 

 ravages are not easy to discuss or to condense 

 into the somewhat small space we can afford, 

 but Mr. Stockdale has gone very fully into it 

 in his report (1906). The remedies suggested 

 are divided into two sections, viz. : 



(1) Those which will destroy or weaken the 

 fungus. 



(2) Those which encourage a more vigorous 

 growth of the palm, so as to enable it better 

 to withstand any attacks of the fungus. 



Now the spores of the fungus under favour- 

 able conditions exist in such numbers that 

 unless they are destroyed it is possible for the 

 disease, given warm, moist, or windy weather, 

 to spread very rapidly. For these reasons all 

 dead trees should be cut down, all the portions 

 carefully collected on the spot where the tree 

 once stood, and the whole burnt. The leaves 

 must not be dragged about, and burning on the 

 spot helps to counteract the spread of any 

 spores by destroying them. 



If a few leaves only are diseased, it will 



