98 COCONUT PLANTER'S MANUAL. 



creasing the humus and water retaining power of the soil. On sloping soils 

 they also greatly assist in preventing wash of surface soil. 



Good drainage is essential for all soils, hut the presence of ample mois- 

 ture is < f more importance even than manure, as no amount of the latter can 

 counteract the imnn-diate and after effects of a long drought. It is esti- 

 mated that a well-grown palm transpires through the leaves about 2,235 

 gallons or prfcthally 10 tons annual'y; allowirg for 70 palms per acre, 

 this « qnals about 710 tons, or the equivalent of 7 inches of rainfall per acre. 

 Eveiy planter knows the heavy fall of immature nuts that succeeds a drought, 

 especially after the first shower of rain, and the loss in crop that results. 



Any practical means of preventing this lo6s by irrigation, dry farming 

 and increasing the humus would materially increase the yields per acre. 

 Irrigation is, in many cases, out of the question, but much may be done by 

 dry fanning and increasing the humus. In Peradeniya experiments, plough- 

 ing the soil twice annually had a very marked effect on the old palms and the 

 younger palms were also greatly benefited by stirring the soil monthly with a 

 disc harrow. At Maba-illuppalama in the dry zone the effect is even more 

 maiked, the growth of tie palm being very fine as the rerults of the cul- 

 tivation with disc harrows. These latter experiments have demonstrated 

 tbe value of irrigable land in the North-Central Province for coconut culti- 

 vation and shows that far less water is required than for paddy, when a 

 thorough system of surface cultivation is adopted. 



In all the districts where rainfall is deficient stirring the surface soi- 

 ahould be done at the beginning of the dry weather to form a loose mulch, 

 which will prevent eva point ion of subsoil moisture. This together with 

 mulching of tlie manured rings will greatly assist the palm in withstanding 

 drought, but the treatment must be continued over several years. 



Much useful work has already been done in the manuring of coconuts 

 by private owners and others, and the manure merchants have greatly 

 assisted propiietors by excellent booklets published on tbe composition and 

 value of certain manures, and the result of manuring already obtained. It 

 ib unnecessary to enumerate all the manures that are now available for 

 •oconut cultivation, as most of them are well known, but a few words as to 

 their properties and suitability for various soils may be advisable. 



The chief phosphatic manures employed are bones, steamed or ground, 

 basic slag and superphosphates. Steamed and ordinal y bones contain at 

 least 3 per cent, nitrogen and 22 per cent, phosphoric acid, equal to 48 per 

 cent, phosphate of lime. They decompose slowly in the soil, but the suc- 

 cessful results obtained from their use show that coconut roots attack them 

 rapidly. There is no fear of lots of phosphoric acid by their use. 



Basic slag has no nitrogen, but contains 15*20 per cent, of free lime and 

 16 to 20 per cent, of phosphoric acid in a form easily available to the palms. 



