North Borneo and the New Hebrides 435 



ing the New Hebrides as a sphere for tropical 

 enterprise, and yet, situated between degrees 

 12 and 20 south, with magnificent soil, and an 

 average rainfall varying, according to locality, 

 from 60 in. to 160 in., these islands offer 

 exceptional opportunities for development in 

 tropical agriculture. 



" So far they have been scarcely touched, 

 the total white population not exceeding 1,000. 

 Land can be obtained in large areas at a low 

 figure and, on the whole, I think capitalists who 

 may be contemplating investment in tropical 

 production could not do better than direct 

 some attention to this little-known group, while 

 British colonists are badly needed to 'leaven the 

 lump' of the mixed element which 'prevails. 



" Up to the present, development has been 

 confined chiefly to the planting of coco-nuts 

 in comparatively small areas, but it has been 

 demonstrated that cacao, coffee and cotton 

 thrive exceptionally well. 



lt Conditions appear to be particularly suitable 

 for coco-nut culture, and to illustrate this I 

 forward a photograph of a tree taken when it 

 was five years and two months old. Since that 

 time (some nine or ten months ago) copra to the 

 amount of 86 Ib. has been made from this one 

 tree, notwithstanding the fact that two bunches 

 of immature nuts were broken off during a gale. 

 No manure has been used, and I would like to 

 know how this compares with production in 

 other parts of the world under similar condi- 

 tions. The tree I instance is certainly above 



