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(2) The factors which govern pollination and fertilization, 



It will be seen that the more precise the method 

 of pollination, be it for example a case of unfailing 

 insect pollination the less will be the variations 

 expressed as a result of it. 



(3) Various cultural factors such as soil, water supply, 



climate, etc. 



Of these three groups it will be evident that group (1) presents 

 great difficulties, and the effect of the individual in the fruit 

 production of any set of trees on a limited area may be very great 

 and almost of itself decide the dimensions of the experiment. 



In experiments of the nature under discussion there are two 

 distinct problems, the one of patches of backward palms — palms 

 obviously " not doing " as shown by their general appearance — and 

 the other of the stand of good palms. This latter is again two fold 

 in its aspect that of the young and that of the old palm. 



As concerns the former, the planter being aware of the cardinal 

 points of coconut culture, knows in a general way the physiological 

 requirements of the palm. He can often make a very shrewd 

 guess at the cause of the backwardness of any one pocket of 

 palms ; he knows the value of an extra drain here and of a little 

 cultivation there as means to improve their condition, and can 

 achieve much good by intelligent application of the knowledge 

 of husbandry which he possesses ; and though he is the first to 

 acknowledge that he is often quite unable to speak of his results 

 in terms expressing actual measurement, the fact that he actually 

 achieves good will not be denied even by the scientific purist. 

 But what may be spoken of as agriculture in its best sense 

 deals with issues far less clearly defined than these. It deals 

 with the detection of differences of much smaller magnitude. 

 This being so it must be acknowledged that personal judgment on the 

 best forms of cultivation, on the values of different leguminous cover 

 crops or different manures, or on the much disputed point of clean 

 weeding in an estate of uniform palms is but a flimsy deciding 

 factor ; these, however, are the very points which the investigator in 

 his efforts to make a good stand of palms yield yet more, is called 

 upon to decide. The differences in nature of these two problems 

 have hitherto not been sufficiently appreciated. It is the latter 

 problem with which these observations deal. As mentioned above 

 the problem is a dual one. With respect to the problem of the 

 young palm it is a matter of recent history since the Department of 

 Agriculture was asked to undertake a comprehensive series of 

 experiments on young palms. The problems put forward for solution 

 were the values of different kinds of manures, of different leguminous 

 cover crops, of different forms of cultivation and of combinations of 

 each of these treatments, a large number of varied treatments being 



