that all the other enemies and diseases 
are doing no serious harm. 
In and immediately about the town 
of Baracoa, the bud rot is killing many 
trees. From near Baracoa to Jamal, 
on the southeast, there is little of the 
disease. After passing the Finca « La 
Alegria », of General Adriano Galano, 
the disease begins to appear again and 
it is said that many groves about Sa- 
bana and Mata are a complete loss. 
Passing up the coast west from Ba- 
racoa not much is seen of the disease 
until after crossing the Duaba river, 
where there are a good many affected 
trees. Occasional sick trees are to be 
seen in many of the cocales on the way 
up the coast to Nabas bay. Beyond 
this it is said that there has been 
heavy losses by the disease. The ex- 
perience of Sr. Pedro Coutin at Nabas, 
is very interesting, and I have append- 
ed his statement to my report. The 
disease, advancing from north-west 
to south-east, reached his place in 
1901. Nevertheless, he has steadily 
increased the areaof his plantings, and 
the production of nuts, being now, one 
of the largest producers in the region. 
A part of Sr. Coutin’ s groves have been 
left without treatment. In these the 
bud rot is rapidly destroying the 
grove, as elsewhere when it gets well 
started . In other places the sick trees 
have been immediately destroyed by 
burning. Where the first affected 
trees were promptly burned, the disease 
has not spread more at that point. 
Here is the vital point of the whole 
matter. If this remedy, that is, burn- 
ing the sick trees, will be effective 
every time as it has been in Sr. Cou- 
tin’s grove, the practical problem is 
solved. 
Practically the whole district is af- 
fected or is liable to be at any time. 
Although the production of nuts has 
as yet not seriously fallen off (owing 
probably to new groves) judging by 
the figures given by Mr. Lindley, I 
feel sure that the industry must in 
time be destroyed if effective measures 
are not taken. 
By permission of Sr. Augustus Soler, 
I treated the cocal connected with 
the City aqueduct. Hopelessly af- 
fected and dead trees were chopped 
down, and dry leaves and trash piled 
over the tops and burned. The trees, 
which were newly affected, as shown 
by the dropping flowers and young 
nuts, were not felled, but the dry ma- 
terials, about the base of the leaves, 
were burned. Our experience has 
convinced us that whenever the young- 
est tender leaves in the center have 
commenced to rot, there is no use 
trying to save the tree. 
In this grove about half the trees 
are already lost or evidently affected, 
and there are affected trees on all sides. 
If I can return from time to time, 
and follow these experiments closely, 
I should be able to determine, in a 
more exact manner than has yet been 
done, the precise effect of burning on 
early stages of the disease. Also, we 
will be able to see whether new cases 
continue to appear under these condi- 
tions. 
I was repeatedly urged to use my 
influeuce to secure the passage of a 
law compelling the destruction of all 
affected trees. The trees with well 
developed cases of bud rot should cer- 
tainly all be destroyed by burning the 
top. 
It is my recommendation that we be 
permitted to continue the experiments 
which we have now initiated until 
