Dying coconut palms were found wherever coconut trees were found but again with greater frequency at the northern islands. Tapering stem or “pencil point" was observed wherever there were coconuts but most notably at Eniaetok and the northern islands (Eniaetok is about midway on the island chain in a north- south line). Dead or partially dead Suriana, Guettarda, Scaevola, Messer- schmidia, and pemphis were notably more prevalent at the northern islands. However, apparently typical plants were also growing nearby. A strikingly aberrant plant of Messerschmidia was found on a sand spit at Lomvilal Island. with a few small, The plant was largely defoliate chlorotic terminal leaves. In general the vegetation at the northern islands was in poorer condition than along the eastern chain and in the south. The northern islands received about ten times the amount of fallout as the southern islands. It is tempting therefore to attribute the dif- ferences in the plants to radiation effects. While it is probable (2922008 that there have been some radiation effects it also seems probable that other factors have had perhaps a greater effect. The best soils of the northern islands are much less well developed than in other parts of the Atoll. For example, the average per cent nitrogen in the best soil type in the northern islands is 0.26 while it is 0.57 and 1.71 in the prevalent soils of other islands.