Locality and Site 25 



thrown up along the margin of the lagoon to 

 hold back the highest tides." 



The only fairly thriving colony of coco-nuts 

 far inland which we know of is at Tabora, in 

 German East Africa, which is over 300 miles 

 from the seashore, and on a high tableland to 

 boot, nearly 3,000 ft. up. In spite of this fact, 

 whilst coco-nut trees are very rarely met with, 

 and do not, as a rule, thrive at an altitude of 

 over i, 200 to 1,500 ft.; and while it is true 

 that we have small groves of fairly good trees 

 at Kandy, Ceylon, 1,760 ft. up ; at Buiten- 

 zorg, Java, at an elevation of 2,100 ft. ; and 

 also on high lands in Fiji, Samoa, Honolulu, 

 &c. ; of real plantations we have none at 

 such elevations, and nobody in his senses 

 would try to establish one at such altitudes. 

 Having now reduced our possible area to a 

 fairly well-defined limit, outside of which it 

 would not be safe to go, we will proceed. 

 It is agreed, therefore, that the best and most 

 important estates occur near the sea upon 

 fairly level land where important mountain 

 formations in the vicinity of frequent rivers 

 and torrents have formed huge deposits of 

 rich, friable soil. To these deposits are added 

 the accumulations of humus created by the vast 

 decomposition of plant growth, decaying in all 

 its prolific luxuriance through the uncounted 

 ages. Where there are considerable forma- 

 tions of mother-rock cropping up through 

 these alluvials, it is well to form a correct 



