Manuring 29 1 



dangers. For instance, the young roots may 

 be damaged, and, since the function of trans- 

 mitting water upwards to the leaves is thus 

 impaired, it is advisable, should a plant become 

 damaged, to cut off about a third of the leaves, 

 so as to regulate the evaporation from the 

 leaf surface. But another danger is pre- 

 sented in that the period of transplanting may 

 just coincide with the exhaustion of the natural 

 food store in the nut and before the seedling 

 has developed sufficient power to extract the 

 necessary food material from the soil by the 

 fine root-hairs. This stage occurs about six 

 months after the appearance of the cotyledon or 

 seed leaf, and a period of about three weeks 

 elapses before the seedling can possibly accom- 

 modate itself to any new situation. Recognizing 

 this danger there are many who maintain that 

 the nursery stage is unnecessary, and that the 

 better method is to leave the nuts in piles of 

 ten or twelve, and transport those which have 

 sufficiently sprouted direct to the plantation. 

 Those who advocate this method claim that 

 not only is the expense of the nursery avoided, 

 but weakly plants can be readily seen and 

 rejected. This method has been tested in 

 Ceylon alongside the nursery system with 

 two seed-beds, and in every case the latter has 

 given better results, the palms coming quicker 

 into bearing, their yields have more than 

 compensated the planter for his initial outlay. 

 In the plantation the palms should never be 



