476 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



the palms, there are several kinds of these, but 

 as some of them do comparatively little damage 

 as yet, I shall limit myself to dealing with the 

 three most important. In the July number of 

 The Planters Journal appeared a report by 

 the Hon. C. H. Knowles, describing a leaf 

 disease on Vanua Levu, which is also met 

 with on Taviuni and, I believe, on others of 

 these islands. It will be unnecessary for me 

 to repeat his report here. 



The Viti Levu leaf disease has done damage 

 to such an extent that planting and cultivating 

 the coco-nut palm was practically given up 

 many years ago on this island. Fortunately 

 it has not as yet spread to any other parts of 

 the group. There are a good many trees 

 scattered about on Viti Levu, but they have 

 hitherto borne a sickly appearance, producing 

 only a few nuts and in many instances none 

 at all. 



It has been established that the disease is 

 due to a small moth not hitherto found any- 

 where else, of which Mr. Knowles (in 1911) 

 sent specimens to Mr. Bethume Baker, by 

 whom they were placed in the new genus 

 Levuan and named L. iridescens (B.B.). 



Mr. F. P. Jepson, Government Entomo- 

 logist, in his report on Economic Entomology, 

 1911, writes as follows : 



" Every effort has been made to trace the 

 early history of this pest in Fiji. Planters of 

 long standing in the Colony have been con- 



