438 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



European concerns, the Deutsches Handel- 

 und Pflanzung-Ges., of Hamburg, own and 

 harvest crops from more than 7,000 acres of 

 coco-nut lands, and as they so far obtain less 

 than 3,000 tons per annum from their pro- 

 perties, it will be seen that the yield per acre 

 is somewhat under half a ton ; probably it does 

 not, as a rule, exceed 8J cwt. per acre. 1 



The statement is constantly made by thought- 

 less planters all over the Pacific that coco-nuts 

 commence bearing in their fifth or sixth year 

 and continue to do so for a hundred years, 

 reaching their maximum efficiency in their 

 seventh or eighth year. While such conditions 

 may exist in the Solomons, which are now 

 being extensively planted, and where seemingly 

 good authority backs up this claim, neither 

 Samoa nor any other place known to the 

 writer can show such results. Well-sprouted 

 nuts set out in favourable situations in Samoa 

 will show small fruits in the fifth year, but 

 these will not develop, and even a small crop 

 is not produced until the sixth year ; whilst 

 the tree must be at least eight years of age 

 before it can be considered to have arrived 

 at full maturity, and only then in the most 

 favoured situations near the beach, exposed 

 to the sea air, the salt water, or the under- 

 flow from the hills passing through its roots. 



1 This seems rather a heavy estimate, as half a ton of 

 copra at three nuts to the pound = 3,360 nuts to the 

 acre ; at two and a half nuts to the pound of copra = 

 2,800 nuts to the acre. 



