80 COCONUT PLANTER'S MANUAL. 



coconut, in its early years, in this way. T am unable to say; but it 

 seems to indicate a weakness, due perhaps to something lacking in our 

 soils. Can any of our numerous agricultural chemists say if there is 

 any chemical that can be added to our manures, capable of toughen- 

 ing the fruit-stalk? Where jungle is scarce propping is rather costly. 



Manuring —Ceylon soils, as a rule, are poor, and to rest satisfied 

 with the returns nature gives, is. in the case of coconuts, bad policy. 

 If we want heavy crops we must put into the soil the manures neces- 

 sary to produce them. When should I begin to manure? So soon as 

 you sec that your plants need it. If there is a child or an animal suffer- 

 ing from inanition you do not say: "Oh! you are too young to be fed 

 up. it may do you harm, and it would be wrong to accustom you t> 

 nourishing dirt.*' This is practically the argument of those who say 

 you should not manure young coconut trees; but you at once treat the 

 child or animax in a rational way and give it the food suited to its con- 

 dition. So should you do to your plants. Some want assistance earlier 

 than others; and when a person can afford to do it he should begin 

 manuring before his trees show by scanty heads of leaves and reduced 

 crops that they are lacking food. Manure half the estate each year, 

 for I know of no manures except coarse bone oust which will last un- 

 exhausted longer than two years, and on no account should the trees 

 be allowed to iall into & poorer condition than that in which they were 

 maintained by the manure. There arc many Agricultural Chemists now 

 in Ceylon, so tnere can be no difficulty in ascertaining the right manures 

 to apply. Without doubt cattle manure is the best, bui much of that 

 is not available, as pasture outside the estate is rarely to be had, and 

 although the passing of herbage through the intestines of an animal 

 makes it more readily available as food for plants, the grazing of cattle 

 on an estate, and concentrating the droppings to one part, is after all 

 only "robbing Peter to pay Paul." It adds nothing to the soil, but 

 tends rather to exhaust it too soon. Matty persons with the means have 

 not the courage to spend money on artificial manures, fearing that their 

 money may be lost. This timidity arises from ignorance, for those who 

 have used artificial manures know that when the proper manures are 

 used and judiciously applied, they always give remunerative returns. 

 Again, ignorance makes many impatient and disheartened; they apply 

 manure and expect to see results in crop within a year, forgetting, or 

 not being aware, that it takes quite six months before artificial manure 

 becomes to any extent available to the tree, and that it takes a year 

 from the setting of a nut to its ripening, also that on poor lands the 

 first application is almost all appropriated for the building up of the con- 

 stitution of tin tree and that it is not till after the second application 

 i hat results in crop are seen. Others object : "If we begin to manure 

 we must continue it": that certainly you must, and if the money in- 



