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annually from India. Fifty cocoa-nuts yield about 6 Ibs. of 

 coir. About 6 lakhs of Rupees worth of nuts are also ex- 

 ported annually from India. 



395. An acre planted with 200 cocoa-nut palms (about 

 15 ft. apart) would yield in coir alone 2 to 2\ annas per tree 

 or nearly Rs. 30 for the 200 trees. The average yield of fruits 

 may be put down at 8 annas per tree or Rs. 100 per acre. But 

 the plantation to yield so much must be situated within 100 

 miles of the sea-coast, that sea-breez may bring enough of salt 

 into the soil to keep up its vigour for this crop. At the time 

 of planting also, half a seer of khari nimak should be used 

 per plant. The seed cocoa-nuts used should, if possible, be 

 imported from Ceylon or Madras. 



396. The cocoa-nut flowers in about 5 years after planting, 

 in the hot weather. The nuts are ripe and ready for pluck- 

 ing in ro months after flowering. Nuts allowed to remain 

 too long on trees, the fibre gets coarse and brittle. The fibre 

 of green nuts is lighter and finer, but there is less quantity 

 and it is weaker. The removal of the fibre from the shell 

 is effected by forcing the nut upon a pointed implement stuck 

 into the ground. With this arrangement one man can clean 

 1,000 nuts a day. The fibrous husks are next submitted to a 

 soaking, which is variously conducted. In some places they 

 are placed in pits of salt or brackish water for 6 to 18 months 

 (fresh water spoiling the fibre). If steam is admitted into the 

 steeping vat to warm the water, the operation is rendered 

 shorter and the fibre is also softened and improved. The further 

 separation of the fibre from the husk is largely effected by 

 the hand. After thorough soaking the husks are beaten with 

 heavy wooden mallets and then rubbed between the hands, 

 until all the interstitial cellular substances are separated from 

 the fibrous portion. When quite clean, it is arranged into a 

 loose roving preparatory to being twisted, which is done 

 between the palms of the hands in such a way as to produce a 

 yarn of two strands at once. 



