128 COCONUT PLANTER'S MANUAL. 



made up of very small grains, because it would have such a large num- 

 ber of grains to cover. When we came to experiment with the seco-id 

 lump, composed of very coarse grains, we should find that the tea would 

 run quickly foi a short distance up into the sugar, but then it would 

 stop and it is doubtful if it would ever reach the top because large 

 grains have so little lifting power. Finally, when we came to try th? 

 third lump we should find the tea moving easily and freely right up r<j 

 the top of the sugar. 



Exactly I he same thing happens in the case of soils. The coarse 

 grained lump of sugar represents sandy soils in which the particles of 

 earth are large and coarse; the fine grained lump represents clay soils 

 in which the particles are exceedingly minute; and the third lump 

 represents medium loam soils. This is the explanation of the fact that 

 sands suffer most when subjected to drought, heavy clay suffer nearly 

 as badly, whilst the types of soil which are least affected by lack of 

 rain are the medium loams. 



Another force which acts upon the water in soils and which robs the 

 palms to the most serious extent is that known as evaporation. This 

 force is so familiar to us all that is scarcely requires explanation. It is 

 under the 'influence of evaporation that the water which is brought up 

 to the surface of the soil by capillarity is converted into vapour and 

 passed into the atmosphere. 



Now a brief consideration of the above rfotes will be sufficient to 

 incidate to us that there are two main directions in which we can pro- 

 ceed to combat drought. 



The first is, of course, by making good the natural deficiency sn 

 the water supply. If the seasons do not provide our palms with suffi- 

 cient rain wo must ourselves do what we can to augment the supply pf 

 moisture by irrigation or by any other means open to us. 



Palms judiciously irrigated have nothing whatever to fear from 

 drought, no. matter how severe or how protracted the drought may be. 

 Tf our estate is fortunately situated as regards the slope of the land 

 and the supply of water, we have at once a means to hand by which 

 we can defy lh» most arid of seasons. It is, of course, true that only a 

 .small proportion of Ceylon cocoanut estates are so situated as to permit 

 of irrigation, but where it is possible to adopt this policy it should in- 

 variably be carried out. 



Where irrigation is impossible we can water the palms by means 

 of pumps or buckets and hand labour. This may seem an entirely hope- 

 less and impracticable proposition to apply to an estate of a thousand 

 acres, but as a matter of fact it is not nearly so difficult as it appears at 



