90 THE SEED-NUT AND THE NURSERY 



dry, and the husk be allowed to harden. The 

 seed-nuts imported from Penang and Province 

 Wellesley into the Malay States have done very 

 well indeed; excellent seed may also be obtained 

 from Kuala Selangor, Kuala Langat and Lower 

 Perak. 



Whenever the soil shows a tendency towards 

 dampness it should be raised a little above the 

 surrounding land, a precaution that is seldom 

 necessary in a well-drained area. Trenches six 

 inches deep must next be dug in the beds, and the 

 nuts placed in rows, about one foot apart, and 

 laid in a slightly oblique position, with the acute 

 end of the nut downwards. This is the system 

 adopted in the Malay States, but curiously enough 

 the Government experts of the West Indies recom- 

 mend that the nuts be laid horizontally, with the 

 end somewhat raised. In no case should they be 

 placed in a vertical position. The soil that has 

 been dug out of the trenches is then replaced until 

 the nuts are covered to such a depth that only 

 about a quarter of the upper part of each projects. 

 The whole bed must then be covered to a depth of 

 six inches with straw or grass. The question of 

 watering depends a great deal on local climatic 

 conditions. So long as the leaves look fresh and 

 of a dark green colour during drought they need 

 not be watered, but if they begin to look yellowish, 

 moisture is at once required. It is not advisable 



