T3 



tvliibh are conspicuously more productive than ftre tlieir nelgli^ 

 bours which are growing under the same conditions. 

 • 't! "'"^ -^ *^^^ ^^ especially productive because it grows in e^pecialh- 

 rich soil, or because it is well watered or well fertilized, or because 

 it .IS freely illuminated on all sides, then, no matter hqw con- 

 spicuously productive it may be, there is no sound reason for 

 choosing it as the source of seed. Seeds are chosen for their 

 hereditary qualities, and a good environment cannot be inherited. 

 A tree in the middle of a grove which regularly produces niorp 

 nuts, or larger nuts than its neighbours, and is without any com- 

 pensating drawback, should be selected as the source of seed, even 



though a tree at the outside of the ' '' 



productive be passed over. \ 



The selection pi nuts from piles or at any time after they are 



same 



f 



fr.om the tree is not to be recommended 



very 



thus often happen that the selection of large nuts from the nut 

 pile is in effect selection from trees which are not very productive. 

 Moreover, there is a chance that the large nuts inTgeneral nut 

 piles are from trees which produce large duts hedause thev grow 

 uftder especially favourable conditions, and, as we have just seen, 

 the,reis no reason whatever why the fruit of such trees, however 

 gOQd it may be, should be selected for propagation. 



//When the trees which are to be thesource of seednuts have been 

 selected, their nuts should be regarded as having a value which is 

 based on the value of the trees they will produce, knd as therefore 

 out of all proportion to the value which they haye.as mere nuts. 

 It is worth while to harvest these nuts with a care which would 

 be economically impossible for nuts intended foi- the production 

 of copra. It IS well worth while to collect the nuts of a good seed 

 tree by lowering them to the ground by hand in order that there 

 can be no risk of breaking or cracking them. A' cracked nut will 

 ne-ver germinate. 



''The nuts are ready to be used for seed at the same time at 

 which they are really ready to be used for copra, that is, when a 

 third or a half of the water in the interior cavity has been used 

 "^ip. This condition can be recognized by the heaviness of the nut 

 and by the noise which it makes when shaken." 



The following paragraph taken from the ** Directions for 

 Planting Coco-nut Trees," issued by the Board of Agriculture, 

 British Guiana, contains information very similar to that given 

 by Copeland: — .^ ' ■ 



* Selection of Seeds, — Nuts which are (^uite ripe should bfe 

 chosen from trees which bear good crops of . nuts having 

 thin husks and thick kernels (copra), and wliieh are nei 



ery young nor verv old. Tlie\ 



ked 



not allowed to fall, as by so doing they may be injured, or, if not 

 picked, fallen ripe nuts should be selected with u'ninjilrejd husks; 

 they should be kept a month before sowing. ; Th6 la'i^gei* ones on 

 the bunches should be selected for planting, but very big nuts arfe 

 uot always the best, because only a few may be biiriie oh the tree, 

 while frequently their size is due to excessive development of husk 

 at the expense oJ the kernel; oblong mtlp should lie avoided. The 



