Samoa and New Guinea 123 



Annam, and elsewhere to have suffered 

 severely from the depredations of the Rhino 

 beetle. This company has held a concession 

 from its inception which gives its directors the 

 right to recruit labour up to a certain amount 

 from the Islands of the Bismarck Archipelago. 

 The main reason also of its success is that 

 the bulk of the trees are in full bearing. At 

 one time in Samoa the cultivation of the coco- 

 nut palm enjoyed the great advantage over 

 other producing centres of being free from any 

 kind of disease or insect pests but a restricted 

 labour supply engenders carelessness in some 

 respects and tends to cause constant and 

 proper weeding, hoeing, and, most certainly, 

 manuring, to be neglected. With regard to 

 the nuts themselves, it is worth noting that 

 according to Mr. Jared G. Smith, of the 

 Hawaii Experimental Station, in the Philip- 

 pine Agricultiiral Review, June, 1908, vol. i, 

 No. 6, the Samoan coco-nut is considered 

 the best variety for cultivation in Hawaii 

 because it commences to bear at an earlier 

 age, and is more prolific than the Hawaiian 

 tree. The palms are at their best further 

 south in Hawaii. 



Samoa generally had, until 1910, a great 

 advantage over other producing centres in her 

 trees being free from disease and pests, but, 

 alas, as Mr. Jepson's report already referred to 

 shows, it is now known that, as far back as 

 November, 1910, the Rhino beetle set forth 



