4 
San Ramon Government Farm, where most of these investigations were 
carried on, lies on the west coast of Mindanao 10 miles north of the town 
of Zamboanga. It extends for about 2 miles along the seacoast and 
toward the interior for 3 or 4 miles, to the base of a small range of 
densely wooded mountains, which forms an admirable watershed. 
Four small streams run through San Ramon from the mountains to 
the sea. It is very probable that there is considerable underground 
drainage as well, for fresh water may be obtained at a depth of 5 or 6 
feet almost anywhere along the shore, even at the edge of the beach. At 
present copra and hemp are the principal products of the farm, together 
with a little cacao. 
At the time of writing all the coconut trees used for making copra at 
San Ramon were planted by the Spanish, but large numbers of new ones 
are being set every year from selected seed, for which only the largest and 
best nuts are taken. They are laid out on the ground in a sheltered 
place and a small section of husk is cut from the top of each to afford a 
more easy egress for the sprout. At the end of about six months’ time, 
when the sprout is from 2 to 3 feet high and the nut has just begun to 
take root in the ground, it is ready for planting. For this purpose a 
hole about 2 feet deep is prepared and the young plant is firmly packed 
with the soil, so that the sprout stands erect and the top of the nut is 6 to 
10 inches below the surface. As a protection against wild hogs it has of 
late been the custom to dig a pit 4 or 5 feet deep and to plant the nuts 
at the bottom of this. The seedlings are set out in straight rows, allow- 
ing a space of about 10 meters between each plant. 
After planting, the young coconut requires very little care, except to 
keep it free from weeds and the attacks of animals and insects, until it 
reaches maturity. The average time before a tree begins to give a good 
yield of fruit may be set at ten years. Instances have been known when 
bearing commenced as early as the fifth year, but these are of rare occur- 
rences and under exceptionally favorable circumstances. 
The process in use for preparing copra is very simple. The nuts are 
gathered by natives, who climb the trees, cut off the ripe or nearly ripe 
fruit, and let it fall to the ground. No especial care is taken to prevent 
damage by falling. The nuts are then piled in a heap and allowed to 
stand for a few weeks before being opened. ‘To remove the outer, fibrous 
husk the natives make use of a heavy spearhead firmly sunk in the ground. 
They force the nut down on the sharp point until it penetrates to the 
shell, then, by a peculiar twist, strip off the husk, a portion at a time. 
One man can husk, on an average, 1,000 nuts per day. 
After being thus prepared the coconuts are split in halves by a couple 
of sharp blows from the back of a bolo. The milk is allowed to go to 
waste on the ground. 
Drying.—The simplest method of drying the meat is to spread out the 
halves of the coconut on large wooden trays, face up, in the sun. At 
