176 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



the older or younger ones. In all cases a 

 sure sign is the bark and, to a lesser extent, 

 the height. A young tree always has a lush, 

 fresh appearance, the trunk appears in full sap 

 as it were, and the bark has not the dead grey 

 look of the older trees perhaps with a growth of 

 moss upon them. The bark is still also heavily 

 scored by the scars left where the leaves have 

 been attached to the trunk and later fallen off. 

 In young trees these alternately disposed marks 

 around the trunk are quite distinct and sharply 

 defined, whilst in the older ones they heal over 

 and disappear gradually as the trunk of the 

 tree grows taller. It is naturally of the greatest 

 importance that the selected nuts for seed 

 purposes should be perfectly mature when 

 taken from the tree. The natives become 

 very expert in determining this, they tap the 

 nut with their finger nail, and a clear, high 

 tone indicates that a nut is mature, whilst a 

 dull, hollow sound tells that it is still more 

 or less undeveloped and green. A little notice 

 and attention will soon make the planter an 

 expert in this respect also. A good many 

 people have suggested that in order to ensure 

 the nuts being ripe, they should be allowed, 

 the same as when making copra, to drop, and 

 that no others be used but those that are 

 picked up from the ground. Against this 

 policy we would say always buy seed-nuts 

 taken from the tree by hand, see that they aro 

 lowered to the ground even and not thrown 



