84 



THE AGKICULTURAL NEWS. 



March 20, 1909. 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



COCOA-IIUT PLANTING IN HAWAII, 



It IS evident from the i'olli)\vinv; notes, extracted 

 from the fourth Annual Report of the Commissioners 

 of Agriculture and Forestry of the Hawaiian Islands, that 

 efforts are being maile to exploit the possibilities of 

 cocoa-nut planting in that Territorj': — 



The mamifacturo and shipment of a considerable 

 quantity of copra from the island of Kauai, the orgaiuzation 

 of a company to start a cocoa-nut plantation on the windward 

 side of Oahu, and the planting of numerous small groves on 

 the other islands, all point to the development of a cocoa-nut 

 industry. 



The Hawaiian Tslaiids lie just at the northern edge of 

 the zone in winch the itocoa-nut will thi ivc, but the demand 

 for cocoa-nut products — cocoa-nitt oil, copra, and coir — is so 

 great that the outlook is full of pronnse. In Hawaii it 

 takes from seven to ten years for a cocoa-nut grove to come 

 into bearing, but as this group of islands is free frfim the 

 severe storms that at intervals do so much damage in the 

 South Seas, Hawaii is able to compete successfully with 

 regions more favouralily located for cocoa-nut growing. 



COCOA-NUT PLANTING AT ANTIGUA. 



Mr. T. Jackson, Curator of the Antigua Botanic 

 Station, has forwarded tlie following interesting note on 

 cocoa-nut planting in the island : — 



The growing of cocoa nuts at .\ntigua is limited to 

 a great e.xtent by the numerous droughts experienced, and in 

 a great measiu'e by the unfavourable condition of the land. 

 Within the last eighteen months, however, fron: 90 to 100 

 acres have been planted in the lighter soils in the sonthei ii 

 ])art of the island, and it .((jpcars jirobable that another 

 40 or .50 a'-res will be jilanted in the near future. 'I'lie 

 rainfall in those districts is somewhat greater than in other 

 jjarts, being about 'j2 inches per annum. 



Where these cocoa-nuts have been jilanted, the .soil 

 appears to be suitable, being deep and of a .sandy nature. 

 The seedlings were raised at the Botanic Station : cocoa-nuts 

 were planted in beds, in which trenches had been made about 

 1 foot deej), care being taken wdieu plantiug that the points 

 of the nuts were slightly raised. 



Apart from the area mentioned above, little or no land 

 has been previously planted on a coiinuercial scale. The few 

 trees which are in the island either form avenues or are veiy 

 scattered. In point of fact, the production of cocoa- nuts at 



.Vutigua is not sutticient to meet the local demand It would 

 be interesting to ascertain if possible, the exact immber of 

 nuts annually imported int<j the island. 



As already stated, the cultivation <){ this palm can only 

 be carried on to a limited extent at Antigua, and the 

 subsequent growth of these new- plantations Avill be watched 

 with interest. There are cocoa-nut trees already growing in 

 the vicinity of the new plantings, and although the plants 

 are attacked to-i-'some extent by scale insects, they bear 

 ainiually a fair crop. The new plantations are, it is 

 considered, growing on a more stiitable soil, and thus there 

 is hope that they will prove more successful. 



In view of the revival of interest that appears ta 

 be taken in cocoa-nut planting in parts of the West 

 Indies, e.g., at Antigua an<l .it Nevis, it may not be out 

 of place in this connexion to point out that cocoa-nut 

 jdantations are not costly to establish or maintain : the 

 trees re(]uire little attention, and can frequently be 

 grown on land that is not suitable for other economic 

 crops. The varied uses of the dirferent parts of the 

 palm and of its products arc also worthy of attention. 



The food value of the nuts constitutes the most obvious 

 reason for growing the palm. In some of the South Sea 

 Islands the kernels form the chief food of the natives. The 

 tiesh of the nuts, dried in the .sun, forms the copra of 

 commerce, and is exported to Europe and America in great 

 ipiautity from various trofiical countries. Copra is used in 

 confcctioneiy to a small extent, but this product is chiefly 

 valued on account of the large proportion of oil it contains, 

 and wdiicli is used for cooking ])urpose.s, and in the manu- 

 facture of soap and candles. When the oil has been extracted 

 from tlie cojjia, the residue forms a fairly nutritious cattle 

 food. 



t'oir forms another very useful [Mihlnct from the cocoa- 

 nut. 'J'his is the fibre obtained from the husks, and is valued 

 at from £10 to £30 per ton, according to quality. Coir 

 is used in the manufacture of ropes, cordage, mats, brooms, 

 lirushes, etc. 



The trunk of the cocoa-nut palm is hard and durable, 

 and is naturally utilized for a variety of purposes, such as 

 house-building, etc. The outer wood of the trunk is known 

 in England as ' j)orcupine wood,' and is esteemed for its 

 fine grain. 



' Toddy ' and ' atrack ' are alcoholic drinks manufactured 

 in Ceylon from the cut flower-stalks of the palm, while the 

 outer .shells are used as drinking vessel.s, etc., and latterly for 

 making buttons. 



