Manuring 293 



be added the average loss withdrawn by the 

 leaves, say, sixteen leaves per tree at 3 kilos 

 each 8,400 kilos total weight. The total 

 loss, therefore, would, after making allowances, 

 probably work out as follows : 



Phosphoric 

 Annual Ijss Nitrogen Potash acid 



Nuts, per hectare ... 59'43 60-55 J 6'73 kilos. 

 Leaves, ,, ... 31-69 74-82 24-65 ,, 



Combined loss ... 91-12 135*37 4^3^ ,, 



Were it not, therefore, that the root mass of 

 a coco-nut draws nutriment from a depth of at 

 least 2 metres below the surface of the ground, 

 and outwards on all sides for from 3! to 6-| 

 metres distance, and even more from its base, 

 the trees would be unable to find sufficient 

 nourishment on the poor soils which are found, 

 as a rule, on the sea-beach at San Ramon, 

 or in Trinidad, W.I., &c., where the tree 

 flourishes. 



"It seems," adds Mr. Walker, "very pro- 

 bable in San Ramon at least, if not in most 

 plantations along the sea-coast, that the nutri- 

 tive material comes, not from the soil in which 

 the trees are actually growing", but from an 

 inexhaustible supply of water, laden with plant 

 food, which is constantly sweeping down from 

 the higher ground toward the ocean. The 

 underground water supply would account for 

 the flourishing condition of trees in a sandy 

 soil near the sea, even in times of drought, 

 when individuals further inland- in higher and 



