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the Malay States must be given to rats. They have caused immense 

 damage in several districts, completely destroying as much as 2,000 

 acres in one locality. They are not constant in their attack." 



In the same article the author referred to these animals nibbling 

 the base of the palms and eventually eating out the heart, " leaving 

 a hole 2| inches in diameter." 



As I have no experience in dealing witli this pest, fortunately 

 none of the coconut plantations it is my privilege to visit regularly 

 have suffered attacks of the pest, I think I can do no better than 

 quote from Pratt's article, 



Protection of young palms. — " Out of a piece of zinc, 18 inches long 

 and 12 inches wide, an arch is cut at the middle of the longer edge, 

 measuring, approximately, seven inches wide at the base, and five 

 inches high. The nut itself fits into this arch and by drawing the tin 

 round the tree a cylinder about five inches in diameter is formed 

 enclosing the base of the young plant. 



The base of the cylinder on either side of the arch is buried 

 about three inches in the ground thus enabling the top of the arch 

 to fit tightly over the upper part of the nut. ~No rat can harm 

 a young plant protected in this way, for if access is obtained by 

 burrowing there is no room for the rat to work within the enclosure." 



This method seems to have had successful results. 



For older trees possibly an adequate measure might be to surround 

 the stem of each palm near the base with a piece of tin in the form 

 of a cylinder or " with a collar of tin several inches wide and attached 

 so that it slants outwards and downwards from the tree." Such a 

 method is too costly to put into practice unless the pest is causing 

 really serious injury. 



