142 COCONUT PLANTER'S MANUAL. 



andra Estate experiments demonstrate that coconuts could not be success- 

 fully grown on these lands bycultivation alone, however intensive it may be. 

 The application of a full compost is essential from the commencement, while 

 mulching the manured area with coconut husks or fibre dust greatly im- 

 proves growth. The poverty of these soils is due to the absence of organic 

 matter ; therefore under no circumstances should any production of the soil 

 be burnt and every effort should be made to add as much as foreign 

 organic matter to the]soil as possible. 



Forest lands in the drier districts are available for planting coconuts, 

 but owing to the absence of roads, scarcity of labour, prevalence of malaria, 

 etc., the cost of opening such lands is prohibitive. During the last ten 

 years very little land has been opened up in Coconut. 



Seed Nuts. 

 From a scientific point of view the selection of good seeds is very impor- 

 tant, therefore seed nutsshould ba selected with the greatest care. Nuts 

 should be selected from healthy, drought-resisting palms 20 to 40 years 

 old, bearing heavy bunches with shorts stalks. There are saveral varieties 

 of coconuts. 19 more or less distinct varieties have been identified and 

 experiments are being carried out both by the Department of Agriculture 

 at Peradeniya and by me at Alexandra Estate, with plants from these 

 varieties Owing to cross-fertilization these plants are not true to the 

 parent, but the progeny of certain varieties are distinctly superior to others. 



Nurseries. 



The ground of the nursery should be well prepared by digging deep 

 and removing all roots, stumps, etc. It should be then divided into beds 

 about 6 feet wide, to enable one to walk through the nursery later for 

 weeding, watering, etc. The nuts should be placed about a foot apart with 

 their tops pointing upv/ards and then covered round with earth exposing 

 only the top. There is a difference of opinion as to the best position the 

 nuts should be placed. Some think it should be placed horizontally as it is 

 the natural position, but experience has proved the upright position to be 

 better and more convenient for planting. The plants which fail to do well 

 in the nursery should be rejected. If this had been done in the olden days 

 there would not be so many sickly trees on estates. 



Felling, Burning, Etc. 

 Felling should be started just after the rains to enable early planting. 

 All the trees should be cut as low as possible and the larger branches lopped 

 off the fallen trees so as to cover the ground more evenly to ensure a good 

 burn. The unburnt sticks should be piled up and burnt in the holes just 

 after cutting, while larger logs may be reserved to obtain a«hes later. The 



