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THE COCO-NUT IN GERMAN EAST 

 AFRICA. 



THE coast-line of this colony, extending 

 from the 5th to the iith degree of latitude 

 South, is low, sandy and of coral formation ; 

 it is, therefore, eminently suitable for the cul- 

 tivation of the coco-nut palm, being broken 

 up into many bays and creeks where rivers 

 and water-courses debouch, and as it also has a 

 number of islands adjacent to it, such troubles 

 as want of transport or sea air, or lack of sub- 

 soil water for the estate are reduced to a mini- 

 mum. The rainfall is fairly abundant, amount- 

 ing in some localities to 65 in. There are, 

 however, two distinct seasons with long dry 

 spells in between, which is not an over-favour- 

 able condition of things for coco-nuts, as they 

 thrive best when occasional showers can be 

 relied upon throughout the year. On account 

 of the extremes of wet and dry, and often 

 insufficient rain, the output of copra in German 

 East Africa is subject to serious fluctuations. 



The most extensive coco-nut cultivations are 

 found near the deltas of the rivers. From the 

 Umba River, for instance, which forms the 

 boundary in the north, down toTanga, a distance 

 of 60 miles, there is an almost unbroken belt 



