Samoa and New Guinea 127 



respond to good care and manuring, and one 

 observes on every hand that the coco-nut is 

 very sensitive to and grateful for attention 

 and care. It is also noticeable that the palm, 

 like the cacao-tree, bears abundantly in the 

 neighbourhood of dwellings, stables, &c., where 

 the roots can absorb the multifarious refuse 

 thrown about them. 



Although some faint attempts are made ta 

 keep the soil around the trees clean to a dis- 

 tance of about 4 ft. from the stem, herds ofr 

 cattle are principally depended on in Samoa to 

 keep the plantations free from weeds and rank 

 growth. No better way has yet been found by 

 the Samoan planters to utilize the ample space 

 between the trees, although they are only 

 planted 10 ft. by 10 ft., than to turn them into 

 cattle pastures ; we feel, therefore, that our 

 remarks on cattle as a catch or subsidiary crop 

 (see p. 327) on estates where the trees are wide- 

 planted (say 30 ft. by 30 ft.) should more than 

 ever receive "careful and favourable attention. 



Speaking of cattle and fodder, it is interesting 

 to remember that Barrett recommends the- 

 following as cover-crops or live mulches on- 

 coco-nut plantations in the Philippines. Centro- 

 sema beans (C. plumieri), Lyon bean (Mucuna 

 lyoni), velvet bean (Stizolobium deeringianum\ 

 yam bean {Pachyrhizus sp.\ sword bean 

 (Canavalia sp.\ manimanihan (Alysicarpus sp.\. 

 cacahuate (Gliricidia maculata), ground nuts. 

 (Arachis hypogcza], and ipil (Leuccena glaucd). 



