COCONUT PLANTER'S MANUAL. 25 



acid of fruit, and potash of wood ; but we know that other parts 

 of a tree, such as the husk of the coconut for instance, may be rich 

 in potash. Indeed, from analysis, it is clear that the coconut palm 

 uses up a notable amount of this ingredient, which should, therefore, 

 be well represented in any manure mixture. 



Dr. Copeland tells us that the appreciable effects of manure must 

 not be expected for two or three years after application, since it must 

 follow an improvement in the general vitality of the tree It is 

 possible that within a year the results may be found in larger nuts or 

 in the production and ripening r>f more nuts on each bunch ; but the 

 production of a larger number of bunches, that is, the more rapid suc- 

 cession of bunches, is not to be looked for under two or three years, 

 since it must follow a general improvement in the thriftiness of the tree. 

 Copeland points out that the number of bunches cannot be greater 

 than the number of leaves produced and this depends on the rate of 

 development of the leaves from the growing point of the palm. Dissec. 

 tions made show from 17 to 23 and 25 undeveloped leaves which are 

 not visible except by dissection. With the microscope we might find 

 more. If it is assumed that there are 24 such undeveloped leaves at 

 the growing point, and that 16 of these are developed in a year, the 

 youngest of the undeveloped leaves will need 18 months to appear at 

 the top of the crown. After the leaf is visible it will take another 

 six months for the flowers to appear in the axil of the leaf, and nine 

 months more for the production of fruit. It will thus be over 

 two years before the full effects of manure can increase the rate at 

 which new leaves are formed and thereby the production of crop. 



" Good treatment of the coconut,'' says Copeland, is a full 

 system of procedure, not a single act, or a spasmodic burst of atten- 

 tion." Unless the soil is kept in good condition by proper tillage and 

 its water resources be carefully controlled, the effect of manures will 

 be disappointing. 



The investigations being carried out on coconuts by the various 

 tropical Departments of Agricultui-e are bound to throw much light on 

 the influence of cultural details on the palm, about which we have 

 still a great deal to learn. 



The use of lime in coconut cultivation is a matter about which 

 there is much difference of opinion among planters, many of whom 

 incline to the belief that it is a dangerous practice; but this is 



