81 



An Inspector of the 'Commission of Plant Sanitation, Sr. Er- 

 nesto Simonetto, was sent to the center of the diseased district at 

 Artemisa to report on all farms having this disease. He made a 

 report of all the farms, advised the farmers as to the best methods 

 of treatment, gave them copies of the decree and posted in 

 numerous conspicuous places edicts regariding the disease. 



Sr. iSimonetto 'began his work in July 1916, but in Dec. ap- 

 peared the Mosca Prieta in the Vedado, and owing to tlie scarcity 

 of men he was ordered to drop the banana work and take up that 

 Ou the Mosea Prieta control. 



'During the time that Sr. Simonetto was at woik on the 

 banana disease he visited about 150 farms, some of which had 

 from 10,000 to 20,000 plants of bananas. He covered the entire 

 district between the following points : San Antonio de los Baiios, 

 Gruanimar, Guira de Melena, Dagame, 'Oachimba, G-abriel, Arte- 

 misa, Caiias, Guanajay, Mangas, and Alquizar. 



It is intended as soon as possible to return a man to this 

 work, who will see that the planters carry out the regulation of 

 the Commission. 



The subject of remedies for this disease has been extensively 

 stadied not only in Cuba, but also in Jamaica, Panama, Costa 

 Rica, Trinidad and Surinam, but up to the present no remedy 

 has been found. 



As a matter of fact, owing to the nature of the disease, it is 

 believed th^t the only probable way to avoid the disease is by the 

 finding of some disease resistant variety or by following the re- 

 commendations of the Commission of Plant Sanitation. 



