and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. —July, 1910. 79 



the soil these were planted in was like ray own, 

 a stiff black dirt with a clay subsoil. This, with 

 other trees found dying on the same soil in the 

 same way in other places, seemed to point to 

 the fault lying in the soil they were planted 

 in, till at Darlingford I found one tree on pure 

 red dirt with trash under it dying of this disease 

 (not the beetle). This beetle, of course, is quite 

 distinct from the trunk borer, which is a little 

 insect no bigger than a corn weevil. This latter 

 my observation shows, nearly always to start at 

 the ground; working gradually up the trunk 

 and eventually penetrating the very heart, when 

 death results. Planters here are getting seri- 

 ously alarmed and are very anxious to know 

 what to do. Most of them, and the small settlors 

 too are depending on the future success of their 

 coconut trees. At the rate the diseases are sprea- 

 ding there is serious danger of there being few 

 coconuts left if not taken in hand. 



I am paying particular attention to thi3 

 matter, and am recommending as follows : — 



1. Tiiat it is absolutely necessary in bearing coconut 

 fields to keep the root of the tree free from husks, fallen 

 limbs, etc. I am certain that these allowed, as generally 

 is the custom, to collect at the roots of the trees, harbour 

 the trunk borers, and very likely start the fungus disease 

 of the root. This latter, by the way, I cannot rind affects 

 the roots themselves, which always appear normal and 

 healthy in the sickest-looking trees. May it not be a fun- 

 gus disease of the trunk starting under the overhanging 

 crown of the tree covered by the mass of rubbish nearly 

 always left round the trees? 



2. For borer of the trunk, tar, if the tree is taken early, 

 is a sure cure. 



3. This means an at least quarterly inspection of all the 

 trees for signs of the trunk borer, by red water. 



4. Regular spraying of the young trees with Bordeaux 

 Mixture, say, once in six months, to keep off the attacks 

 of the beetle borers at. heart. I hope I have made this 

 clear to be a separate beetle from the trunk borer. 

 In referenje to this some planters have said it is 

 such a large expense, etc. The owner of Darlingford 

 thought the outlay enormous. I have, however, made a 

 thorough experiment with this, and am in a position 

 to say that 200 gallons of Bordeaux Mixture sprayed in my 

 walk 181 trees of a bearing age, say ten years old, at a 

 cost of (including labour) Id. per tree with a little bucket 

 spray pump. Young trees, such as the beetle mostly it- 

 tacks, can be sprayed for id. per tree. Mostly it will be 

 worth while on a place with say 25,00 I trees, expected to 

 yield in ten years' time at least £2,5U0 per annum, to ex- 

 pend the sum of £50 per annum for ten years, especially as 

 without any doubt by results seen here, I am certain the 

 crop is largely increased at the bearing stage by spraying. 



(5) Careful examination of trees regularly at three- 

 month intervals for signs of the rot disease (a red gum 

 exuding), if seen, at once excise the part, so that not a 

 sign of the diseased tissue is left and tar the place. My ex- 

 perience has proved this successful, and I am now trying 

 it on a larger scale. It positively stops the disease for a 

 time; if altogether, remains to be proved. Unless cut clean 

 out,",the disease will return. I cannot help thinking the 

 disease is of the nature of Canker in cocoa. 



(6) The total destruction of all trees gone too far even 

 though they still have a few nuts on, by cutting down and 

 burning. 



(7) Burning, i.e., setting tire to the strainer of all trees 

 that are unthrifty in appearance and not yet bearing. The 

 resulting growth and improvement of these trees after re- 

 covering from the shock (12 months) lias been surprising, 



8. The disinfecting of every seed nut by dipping it in a 

 bath of Bordeaux Mixture before planting. 



9. The very strictest attention to preventing pullers, 

 pasturebillers, etc, cutting trees or sticking cutlass points 

 into the trunks. I find that it nearly always sots up a rot 

 and a running of red water. This only affects trees quite 

 soft in the bark. If cut, tar the places. 



Planters in this district are getting consider- 

 ably interested in fighting this disease, and I 

 have many inquires as to cost of spray pumps, 

 where to get, price of Bordeaux Mixture, etc. 



I shall be glad of your help in spreading these 

 particulars by publishing any portion of this 



report you think right in the Journal. — Lho. 

 A. Wates, Agricultural Instructor. 



A Curious Disease. 

 Knowing that your interest is in the agricul- 

 tural progress of the Island, I therefore report 

 to you the state of my coconut cultivation. I have 

 had our Instructor, Mr Wates, looking over my 

 walk and advising what is best to be done and 

 have followed all the advice given me by him 

 and others, but to this date have not seen any 

 real good effect on the walk. Since the begin- 

 ning of last year [ noticed that several of my 

 coconut trees started to send out a red gum 

 from the roots and in a short time the trunk 

 of the trees also were either all over red or had 

 red streaks all down, then the limbs began to 

 droop and the nuts to fall off and in less than 

 six mo iths the trees died. I have cut down and 

 burnt fully one hundred trees; others I have 

 cut away the affected part to the depth of fully 

 four to six inches in the trunk and tarred them, 

 when I have burnt the roots around and the 

 strainers, but all to no effect. Mr Wates ad- 

 vised the cutting away of the affected part and 

 tarring. I am now trenching on either side of 

 the trees to see if this will do any good and I 

 am also having a lime kiln burnt so as to fork 

 around the roots and lime them, and I am also 

 recommended to spray with Bordeaux Mixture. 

 Can you inform me where I will get the Blue 

 Stone cheapest and can you import or recom- 

 mend me where I can get a pump ? I am told 

 a pump can be got from you to throw thirty- 

 eight feet without a hose. Mr Wates had one 

 of the affected trees cut down ; the trunk of the 

 tree inside showed no sign of disease, no insects 

 were in the heart, but the tree was dying. In 

 some trees if a limb is cut in two it shows large 

 spots on either side of the cut. I do not see in 

 the pamphlet, sent out by the Department of 

 Agriculture on the diseases of the coconut palm 

 any allusions to the re,l streaks or to the trees 

 turning all red from the root up, so beg to bring 

 this feature to your notice I think I am correct 

 hi saying that nearly every property in this part 

 of the parish is losing coconut trees. It is a 

 serious matter to all of us, after waiting seven 

 to ten years for the coconuts to come in and as 

 they start bearing they die. Nearly all the time 

 it is the best bearing trees that die ; I have 

 hundreds of immature coconut trees on the 

 ground. I shall be glad for any advice you can 

 give me.— (Sgd.) F. Barnet Brown, Fairy Hill 

 P.M. Ri ver. — Journal of the Jamaica Agricul 

 tural Society for Ma} r 



INCREASED DEMAND FOR EDIBLE 

 COCONUT OIL. 



Supply of Copra Insufficient to Meet 

 Requirements, 



Chicago, May 25.— The Western market for 

 coconut oil is exceptionally strong, and the sup- 

 ply does not appear to be equal to the increasing 

 inquiry for it, due largely to the fact that the oil 

 is coming more and more into favour every year 

 for edible purposes. There has been in oxistence 

 for a long time, a demand for this oil on the 

 other side of the Atlautic for edible uses, but it 

 is only lately that the American consumer has 



