444 Coco-nuts The Consols of the East 



delicious juice, and this bottled and sent away. 

 An industry of this sort is just now starting 

 in Samoa, and a good many acres are to be 

 laid out in cacao and interplanted with catch- 

 crops of pines, which are to be canned without 

 sugar for export to Germany. On the other 

 hand, the originators of this enterprise will 

 certainly find that their cacao will not bear as 

 early as it would have done had they left out 

 the pines ; and it may not afterwards be as 

 prolific, unless they make up with fertilizers 

 the deficiencies in the supply of plant food 

 caused by extensive pine-apple cropping. 



The writer has so far noticed only one 

 coco-nut disease which, though apparently 

 widespread, is not disastrous in its effect. He 

 is unable at present to say how it is caused or 

 to suggest any cure for it. It only appears in 

 young trees, i.e., those less than three years 

 old, and is mostly confined to those which are 

 under two years. The leaves appear to suffer 

 from lack of nourishment, and begin to wither 

 up, commencing with the lowest branches. 

 Sometimes the plant appears to recover, but 

 this is seldom. If it is pulled out it will be 

 found that the original nut which still adheres 

 has rotted and emits a horrible odour. 



When a planter sees such small trees about 

 his place he is safe in removing them, and 

 should disinfect the ground with lime, only 

 setting in a healthy sprouted nut after the lapse 

 of a reasonable period. This is the only 



