50 THE COCONUT BELT 



established in other regions. It is estimated that 

 there are on these islands 35,000,000 trees, of which 

 about 25,000,000 are in bearing. The annual 

 harvest aggregates 1,000,000,000 nuts, which pro- 

 duce for export 125,000 tons of copra and 1,540,000 

 imperial gallons of oil, besides immense quantities 

 of tuba, or toddy. One authority estimates the 

 total annual value of the industry at present at 

 just over 2,000,000. 



Most experts agree that coconut cultivation in 

 the Philippines has suffered considerably from the 

 wasteful methods adopted and the general customs 

 of the country. There is no doubt that the gradual 

 introduction of systematic and scientific cultiva- 

 tion, combined with the elimination of several 

 archaic customs, will result in a considerable in- 

 crease in the output of coconuts and in the quality 

 of their products in these islands, where, at present, 

 the industry only yields about half of what it 

 might be made to produce under proper conditions. 



Along the coast of the Isthmus of Panama 

 coconuts exist on a large scale, as they have done 

 during the past four hundred years. It has, 

 indeed, been claimed that the coconut palm 

 originated on the islands and coasts around the 

 Gulf. The conditions for cultivation are here very 

 favourable an ample rainfall, protection from 

 winds, very suitable soil. About 500,000 nuts are 

 shipped monthly from Panama to the United States, 



