258 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



due to different causes. Of the above symptoms, 

 he argues, No. i is the only one which agrees 

 with the Trinidad disease. Though trees have 

 become barren when attacked by root disease, 

 it is not from a suppression of the flowering 

 branches, but rather from a falling of the 

 miniature nuts and flowers. Moreover, there is 

 here no such diminution in size of leaf as Fetch 

 describes. This feature of the Ceylon root 

 disease seems to coincide with a disease found 

 in Trinidad, to which Rorer has given the name 

 of " little-leaf," from the very characteristic 

 dwindling away of the leaves. Another point 

 which tends to show that the two forms are 

 distinct is the fact that in the Trinidad disease 

 there is always the red ring in the tissues of 

 the stem, which is not mentioned by Fetch as 

 a characteristic of the Ceylon disease. Finally, 

 Fetch has found the mycelium of a basidio- 

 mycetous fungus in the basal part of the stem 

 tissues, which is not the case with the palms 

 in the West Indies. 



Stockdale, in his official description, as 

 published in the West Indian Bulletin, stated 

 that the outward appearance of the trees suffer- 

 ing from this so-called root disease is much the 

 same as that of trees attacked by bud-rot, 

 especially in cases where the outer leaves are 

 the first attacked ; in fact, it is impossible to 

 distinguish the two in the field unless the palm 

 is felled. The disease is first shown by the 

 leaves, which have a somewhat wilted appear- 



