﻿86 
  Elementary 
  Species 
  

  

  sure 
  healthy 
  and 
  vigorous 
  seedlings 
  the 
  nuts 
  

   must 
  be 
  fully 
  ripe, 
  after 
  which 
  planting 
  cannot 
  

   be 
  safely 
  delayed 
  for 
  more 
  than 
  a 
  few 
  weeks. 
  If 
  

   kept 
  too 
  moist 
  the 
  nuts 
  rot. 
  If 
  once 
  on 
  the 
  

   shore, 
  and 
  allowed 
  to 
  lie 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  they 
  become 
  

   overheated 
  and 
  are 
  thereby 
  destroyed; 
  if 
  

   thrown 
  in 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  other 
  shrubs 
  and 
  trees, 
  

   the 
  seedlings 
  do 
  not 
  find 
  the 
  required 
  conditions 
  

   for 
  a 
  vigorous 
  growth. 
  

  

  Some 
  authors 
  have 
  taken 
  the 
  fibrous 
  rind 
  to 
  

   be 
  especially 
  adapted 
  to 
  transport 
  by 
  sea, 
  but 
  if 
  

   this 
  were 
  so, 
  this 
  would 
  argue 
  that 
  water 
  is 
  

   the 
  normal 
  or 
  at 
  least 
  the 
  very 
  frequent 
  medium 
  

   of 
  dissemination, 
  which 
  of 
  course 
  it 
  is 
  not. 
  We 
  

   may 
  claim 
  with 
  quite 
  as 
  much 
  right 
  that 
  the 
  

   thick 
  husk 
  is 
  necessary 
  to 
  enable 
  the 
  heavy 
  

   fruit 
  to 
  drop 
  from 
  tall 
  trees 
  with 
  safety. 
  But 
  

   even 
  for 
  this 
  purpose 
  the 
  protection 
  is 
  not 
  suffi- 
  

   cient, 
  as 
  the 
  nuts 
  often 
  suffer 
  from 
  falling 
  

   to 
  such 
  a 
  degree 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  badly 
  injured 
  as 
  to 
  

   their 
  germinating 
  qualities. 
  It 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  

   that 
  nuts, 
  which 
  are 
  destined 
  for 
  propagation, 
  

   are 
  as 
  a 
  rule 
  not 
  allowed 
  to 
  fall 
  off, 
  but 
  are 
  

   taken 
  from 
  the 
  trees 
  with 
  great 
  care. 
  

  

  Summing 
  up 
  his 
  arguments, 
  Cook 
  concludes 
  

   that 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  in 
  the 
  way 
  of 
  known 
  facts 
  

   to 
  support 
  the 
  poetic 
  theory 
  of 
  the 
  coconut- 
  

   palm 
  dropping 
  its 
  fruits 
  into 
  the 
  sea 
  to 
  float 
  

   away 
  to 
  barren 
  islands 
  and 
  prepare 
  them 
  for 
  

  

  