COCONUT PLANTER'S MANUAL. 117 



part' of the cultivator come into accidental contact with a tree in pass- 

 ing, practically no damage is done, certainly much less than would 

 follow a similar bruiss to a rubber tree, for instance. There is no doubt 

 that it is only a matter of time until mechanical cultivators are used 

 as freely on coconut estates in the tropics as they are at present on fruit 

 orchards in California and elsewhere, and there is no object in delaying 

 their introduction. 13y their use the labour on the estate is reduced to 

 a minimum, while the efficiency of the cultivation is very greatly in- 

 creased. Many forms of cultivator are to be had, and many of them are 

 very suitable for use under coconuts, for loose sandy soils, the lightest 

 disc harrow should be used, while for clayey soils a heavier grub harrow 

 or even a plough would be more useful. One .requirement which they 

 must fulfil is that thry must be easily adjustable to work at different 

 depths. With cue of these machines in use, the general system of word- 

 ing the estate should be as follows: — 



When the ground softens with the first rains the cultivator should 

 be set to work at a depth of about 6 inches and driven between the 

 rows of trees, up one row and down the next. Afterwards it must be 

 run in the same way across the lows, so that no part of the ground is 

 left untouched, and at this operation it should be driven as close to the 

 trees as possible. This opens up the grounds and allows rain water 

 to soak in easily. 



Towards the end of the rains, when only light showers may be 

 expected, the manure should be put out. From the amount to be applied 

 per tree and the number of trees per acre the dose per acre is calculated 

 and that quantity spread broadcast on the surface up and down and 

 across the rows, but it should not be scattered nearer than 2 feet from 

 the stems of lull-grown trees. After the application the cultivator s 

 again run over the ground, working to the same depth as before. 



Of course if the land is such that it becomes swampy during the 

 rains and remains so for some time afterwards, the application of 

 manure must be delayed until it has dried sufficiently. Manure should 

 not be put out on wet swampy land. 



If lime is to be applied it should be done in exactly the same way 

 a week before the application of manure. 



The ground should now be left until the dry weather sets in, but 

 should be regularly weeded by hand as often as is necessary. During 

 the dry weather, the amount of cultivations to be given depends on the 

 texture of the soil. Very loose soils like the sandy lands of many coco- 

 nut estates msj be injured by being disturbed during dry weather, tor 

 there is so little capillary action in coarse-grained sands that water does 



