Manuring 283 



the trees or of undertaking some form of 

 cultivation to produce a more friable condition 

 of the soil. By adopting scientific methods of 

 cultivation the area planted with economic plants 

 has been greatly extended, and it is possible 

 to create conditions under which these plants 

 thrive just as well as in nature, and in many 

 cases far better. So one hopes to extend the 

 region of coco-nut culture from the coastal 

 areas to the inland districts through due attention 

 to seed selection, irrigation and drainage, plant- 

 ing in orchard form so as to have the maximum 

 amount of light and air, and regular cultivation 

 and manuring to restore the plant foods re- 

 moved by each harvest of nuts. But there 

 are two real objections to these inland areas. 

 Firstly, in some cases they may be fever-stricken 

 districts, and, secondly, it is often very difficult 

 to get the nuts and by-products down to the 

 local markets. But engineering and medical 

 science are making rapid progress, and even 

 the " White Man's Grave " is no longer the 

 isolated death trap that it once was. 



SELECTION OF NUTS. 



As has been proved with other cultivated 

 plants, such as wheat, due attention to seed 

 selection is bound to give' increased yields. 

 The fruit as it is plucked from the tree is 

 composed of two parts ; the real kernel or 

 flesh from which the copra is obtained, and the 

 outside protective portion composed of thick 



