THE PLANTATION 75 



graze over the plantation. No bushes, stumps, or 

 refuse should be allowed to accumulate, as they 

 encourage the rhinoceros beetle and other pests, 

 as explained elsewhere. As the trees advance in 

 age the radius of the circle dug up should be 

 increased for one-year-old trees 2 to 3 ft. from 

 the stem will suffice ; for two-year-old trees this 

 radius should be increased to 4 ft., and so on. 

 When the tree reaches maturity and is in full bearing 

 the circle is about 8 ft. from the stem. 



Some managers keep grass and sand round the 

 plants, but many consider that this is practically 

 useless. " Burning the grass when dry," says one 

 authority, "is also useless, as it injures the palms, 

 retards their growth and, further, deprives the 

 land of the benefits which it derives from the grass 

 as it rots." 



There are plenty of plantations which yield sub- 

 stantial amounts from catchcrops before the coconut 

 trees come into bearing ; indeed, cases have been 

 known of estates paying all their expenses and even 

 showing a profit by prudent management in this 

 respect. The period that elapses between planting 

 and initial production varies, as we have already 

 explained, from about three years in some districts 

 to about seven in others, but of course the trees do 

 not attain their maximum productivity until 

 several years afterwards. 



