General Notes 591 



definite solution of the question you have 

 raised can be properly arrived at. A friend of 

 mine who has had long experience with coco- 

 nuts in the Federated Malay States, considers 

 that, from the first appearance of the spathe 

 until the fruit is fully matured, takes about 

 thirteen months on an average, but agrees 

 with me that it depends a good deal on climatic 

 conditions." Mr. Brown contends that from 

 the time of the first appearance of the spathe 

 until set fruit can be counted would be about 

 a month, and adds the interesting point that 

 " pollination takes place to a certain extent 

 before the actual full opening of the sheath, so 

 that young fruit, which may or may not 

 properly set, is observed half-formed as soon 

 as the flower-spike comes into full view." 



Dr. Fredholm (then) of Trinidad, but now 

 at Porto Rico, wrote at some length on the 

 various questions raised, as follows : 



" I noted with pleasure Mr. L. C. Brown's 

 (Inspector of Coco-nut Estates, Federated 

 Malay States) observations relative to the 

 length of time elapsing between the appearance 

 of the bud and the ripening of the fruit. 

 These correspond pretty closely with my 

 own. He gives an average of twelve months, 

 and his correspondent thirteen months. In 

 my articles (in the West India Committee 

 Circular'] I have written, ' That in the coco-nut 

 palm there is an appreciable difference between 

 the time of the ripening of the fruit and of 



