72 



VI.— THE SELECTION OF COCOANUTS FOR 



4 b 



GERMINATION 



rvidely 



held belief that the nut^ from young trees should not be used, and 

 that plants should onlv be raised from fully-matured trees. 



This belief appears to b^ based on the following* passage irom 



Simmonds' [^ Tropical Agficult 

 should be cho 



uting 

 having full, large eyes, 



from trees nast the mi 



not, however, from 



? 



fruits. These, if carefully planted, are said to ensure the tmiel^' 

 sprouting and steady growth of the plant as well as future luxuri- 

 ance, iongevity, and' uiiintermitting fruitfulness. • . . Those nuts 

 which may be taken from trees of immature age will, if planted, 

 rot away at the ^ye; and the plants, if any be successfully reared, 

 on transplanting wall grow very rapidly and acquire bulk, but the 

 fruit, will drop .before the kernel acquires consistoncv, the root 



ttolL-o KT.rtoTr^ r^-^A +1.^. 4- J.: 1— £^:a 1^,-i* „ •_! - y? 



be 



statement 



refutation has been obtained. On pbysiological grounds tbere 

 would appear to be no justification for tlic statement as it stands, 

 thougb no doubt it Avou^d be umvise for more than one reason to 

 plant nuts from young trees in the first year or two of their coming 

 into bearing. 



We ha^e failed to find any earlier reference in economic litera- 

 ture to the statement made by Simmonds, and it is not impossible 

 that he. may have based it on a superstitious native belief which 

 had come to his notice. But all attempts to trace its origin have 

 80 iar been unsuccessful. It is, too, not inconceivable that the 

 statement may merely embody the argument of the owner of a 

 plantation contaimng trees of a particular age, which was being 



iffered 



ken 



C 



nut, by ^. Ji Lopeland,t deals with the vexed question of the see^ 

 nuts and contains useful practical suggestions : — 



m.v K '^r^*'^"-^/' *^^^ ^ec^.-Whatever variety of coco-nut 



efiteda^tr' * ^ ^^^^^ -^^ V are to be planted should be 



be ve?. caiSnlf' f f Individual trees, ani these trees should 



eLrtShnvft y "^'v!- °\*•^^^ '^°^^^ ^' *1^^ °^^« which most 

 pfantaUon *llf ^^^^^^^ ^-^i?\it is desirable to give to the entire 



prfitahirrarl fr^^'^ ;• ^^^ ?"*^^^^«^>' «r ^vill prove more 

 CseedVuts Letin '\''''. '^ *^^ ^'''' "^^^^ ^^^ to furnish 

 -inor js^td t:Z^ ^I^X^ -J^ f any of the 

 tWe u one safe and sufficient rule. l^^T^R:^:^ 



pp. 116-118. ■"• ^^T'^ia^d. London, Maomillan & Co.. Ltd. 



