VII THE COCOA-NUT 167 



and round, in others large and oblong, or divided into three 

 well-marked ridges. In some, again, the fibrous envelope is 

 developed largely at the expense of the nut, and in others the 

 reverse obtains, whilst the albumen contains much oil. In 

 countries where the cocoa-nut palm is cultivated, all these and 

 other differences may be observed by any intelligent person. 



Soil.— The low alluvial flats, near to the mouths of rivers, Alluvial soils 



. the best. 



more especially lands subject to occasional inundations, are 

 the best situations for the cultivation of the cocoa-nut, for, 

 in these places, the alluvial loam is usually rich and deep. 

 The next best soil is a brown loam which may be of a gravelly 

 nature ; then come the sandy soils found in abundance along 

 the coast-line of the West Indies. In these sandy and 

 apparently sterile soils the trees derive their nourishment 

 from underground springs flowing into the sea. Cocoa nut 

 trees will not grow on a clay soil nor on thin gravels ; and 

 it is useless to attempt the cultivation, with the expectation 

 of profits, on any but a suitable soil. 



Climate.— It is said that the lowest average temperature 

 that the cocoa-nut will thrive in is 80° Fahrenheit, and that 

 the annual rainfall must be at least seventy inches ; but the 

 trees will grow and give crops at a lower temperature, and 

 with less moisture. The climate, however, must be a maritime a maritime 



^ climate 



one, the palm delighting in the saline atmosphere of the sea necessary. 



coast. When the tree is planted inland, in order to make up 



for the want of a saline atmosphere, it is usual to put salt in 



the holes before the seedlings are set out, and as much as 



half a bushel of salt is sometimes used in this way for each Sait put in 



tree. Sea breezes are not inimical to the growth of the 



palm, and for this reason it may well be used to fringe the 



windward coasts of the West Indian islands so as to protect 



the cultivation further inland. A writer on the cocoa-nut 



makes the following remarks in regard to the tree delighting 



in a maritime situation. He says the palm " flourishes so 



^' very near the sea, that its roots are in many places washed 



