THE CUBA REVIEW. 25 



THE COCOANUT BUD ROT IN CUBA. 



(Supplementary Report) 



FROM M. T. HORNE, SANTIAGO DE LAS VEGAS, CUBA. 

 Specially Prepared for The CUBA REVIEW. 



At the close of an article on the cocoanut industry in Cuba, which appeared in 

 The CUBA REVIEW, October, 1907, I stated the situation as it then stood, in 

 the following paragraph: 



"If the bud rot could be controlled, cocoanut growing might be counted as one 

 of the most promising minor industries of Cuba. At the best, however, it will be 

 a very difficult and expensive task, and it yet remains to be seen whether or not 

 the government will feel justified in undertaking the task." 



I can now report that an appropriation of $i4,occi, to be expended during the 

 ensuing year for the control of the bud rot, has recently been approved by Governor 

 Magoon and the work of sanitating the groves will probably be commenced very 

 soon. 



This generous government aid to the cocoanut growers, if utilized in careful 

 and thorough work, should give the entire cocoanut region of Baracoa a thorough 

 sanitation and if, thereafter, a persistent land thorough government inspection is 

 maintained, every tree showing symptoms of the disease being promptly destroyed, 

 there is every reason to believe that the disease, while perhaps never to be entirely 

 exterminated, will be so controlled that the industry can develop on a secure basis. 



This hope is based on the results obtained by sanitation in Jamaica and on 

 the results of Mr. Horne's work in Baracoa last summer. 



The purpose of the work at Baracoa, as stated by Mr. Home in his final 

 report upon this wo-rk, was: 



1. To find more accurately the effect of burning out, or cleaning the tree by 

 fire, on new cases of the disease and on the tree itself. 



2. To make a beginning in observing the effect of sanitation on a badly 

 affected grove. 



The cleaning by fire or burning out of sick trees was done as follows: A 

 lighted torch was applied to the top or head of the cocoanut trees so as to burn 

 out all the dry materials which had accumulated there. Each cocoanut leaf has 

 at its base when young a fibrous sheath of somewhat the texture of coarse sacking. 

 These sheaths hold the young leaves erect, but when the leaves commence to 

 spread, the sheaths become loosened but do not drop until the leaves fall. These 

 dry materials accumulate, especially in crowded trees, and may help to harbor 

 the disease in the lower leaf axils. A fire passing about the bases of the leaves 

 does not kill the tree but cleans out all this sheathing material and causes the 

 leaves to droop and spread. Such a fire does not affect the younger sheaths. 



From the results of his experiments in burning out sick trees Mr. Home con- 

 cludes that there is some hope of saving a tree in the very early stages (before 

 the youngest, tender leaves were affected) bj^ burning it out, but the number 

 saved will be very small. Observations on the cleaning of apparently healthy 

 trees by fire show that a good cocoanut tree will not be seriously injured by a 

 judicious burning out, though approximately one year's product will be lost. 



The sanitation of a grove consists in treating all trees in the very early stages 

 of the disease and in felling and burning all hopelessly affected and dead trees. To 

 completely destroy the infection in the felled trees, the tops should be thoroughly 

 torn apart before burning. 



Three badly affected groves were sanitated by Mr. Home in the summer of 

 1907 and, while at the time of his last visit (September 23 — 30), the disease had not 

 been stamped out in any of these groves, there had been a marked decrease in the 

 spread of the infection. In one grove, for example, there had been 31 new cases 

 treated in March, 29 in June, 27 in August, and only 6 in September. Thus the 

 results, though not completely satisfactory, justified a strong recommendation to 

 the government regarding the advisability of sanitary measure. The cocoanut 

 growers of Baracoa sent in appeals, too, for help, and the result is the appropria- 

 tion alreadiy mentioned. 



In Mr. Horne's opinion there is no-, plant disease against which the individual 

 farmer is more helpless and against which efficient government aid will have so 

 good a chance of success; and, whatever the ultimate Cost of sanitation and 

 government inspection, it will be a small price for saving the $200,000 per year now 

 yielded by the industry and the still larger sum which it might yield if p-roperly 

 developed. 



