74 



large orange-red variety is tlie best for planting, in view both of 



size of coconut and of yield of copra. 



recom 



nuts should be taken from trees of some maturity is tbat tlie char- 

 acter of the nuts yielded by such trees would be well known, and it 

 is probable that the nuts borne by quite young trees would not 



show their true character. 



The following extract relating to seedling cocoanuts in the 

 Laccadives* is also of interest in connection with this subject: — 



a 



In most of the islands it is deemed 



seedling coco-nuts with care and attention till they are a year 

 old, when they are transplanted and watered for a few weeks till 

 they become firmly established. " After this the young trees are 



manu 



thfey come Into bearing in Kiltan in from 8 to 10 years, and 

 produce fruit so vigorously and plentifully that it is sometimes 

 necessary to support the luxuriant growth of nuts artificially; in 

 this island, moreover, the preliminary attention to seedlings in 

 not required. 



'* In some of the other islands, as in Chitlac, where the soil is 

 much poorer, the trees do not come into bearing till they are 

 15 to 20 years old^ each tree at best producing only about 50 nuts 

 per annum as agamstSO to 85 nutig a year in Kiltan. In Kadamum, 

 too, backward though tbe cultivation in that island is, the aver- 

 age per annum is about 80 ntlts per tree; in Ameni, where the 

 cultivation is almost as extensive as in Kiltan, the average is olily 

 about 60 nuts a year from each tree. These figures are given by 

 Robinson, after careful and prolonged enquiry, as representing 

 the yield in 1844 and 1845 ; Hume gives the average all over for 

 the four British islands in 1875 at 80 nuts per tree per annum 

 doubtless rather a high general estimate, though probably repte- 

 seutmg the yield of what the people in any of the islands would 



themselves consider a good tree. 



i 



to 



islands, and this is likely to be neatet the trutli than the higher 

 estimate. The islanders try to plant only first-class trees, and 

 they aim at obtaining guch as will come into full bearing in about 



years 



fruitmg-spike bearing 15 to 20 nnts, and so yielding 180 to 250 



'Vi ^rJlT^^' ^^ ^^^""^ ^^ bearing at this rate till they are 60 years 

 old. ihey often do go on bearing, it is said, till thev are 70 or 

 8U years of age, and some are believed by the people 'to be more 

 than a century old." ^ 



Young cocoanut trees va^^ n»r,oi/i^^«v.i„ :_ i.x.^ i. _.i,.-^u 



TsTn thi^' .^^ ' ^""^ ""^^^ ^'" ^"^^- I^ pronouncing an opinion 



pose nnt; r. ' ^°**'' ?^'^*"'^ ''^^ ^" ^^^'^ ^^^' ^or this pur- 



Cin^ T^L'"^'/"^ ^* ^!^'*> *^^^^ *^^ira or fourth year of 

 Deanng. Judging from particulars renpivo^ ..f „.,. i^,.r.^.. 



some 



We 



appear 



that 



^ ^"*f^ It 



Hoc'. 189w'^2?VoA^r6^^ ""• 1'^^"^^^"^^"^^"- Bombay~Nat. Hi«t. 



