VII THE COCOA-NUT 169 



nurseries must be kept free of weeds. In from five to eight The time of 

 months the plants will be ready to set out, and those nuts senmnatiou. 

 that are tardy in germinating should be rejected as they 

 will not produce vigorous trees. 



Planting out. — The land must be lined so as to give a Distances. 

 clear space of twenty-five feet between each tree, for if planted 

 closer the leaves will interlace, and the crops will be lessened. 

 The usual distance is half-a-chain or thirty-three feet between 

 each tree, giving forty trees to the acre. Holes, two feet deep Holes, 

 and three feet wide, should be dug some time before the plants 

 are put out, and the earth taken out of the holes must be 

 heaped all round the margins so that it may gradually be 

 washed down to the roots of the growing tree. The holes, 

 after being allowed to remain open for a time, are to be not to be 

 filled with surface earth to within eighteen inches of the entirely. 

 level of the land when the seedling is planted, thus the crown 

 of the young tree is half a foot below the level of the ground, 

 but in the process of time this becomes filled up, and so 

 ensures a deep and firm hold of the ground by the roots of 

 the plant. 



Cultivation. — After the plants are firmly rooted in the Weed round 

 ground, very little cultivation is required beyond keeping ^^^ ^^^^^' 

 the land free of weeds for some little distance round the 

 young tree. Many planters recommend that cattle should The grazing 

 be allowed to graze amongst the trees, but if this system be °^ cattle. 

 adopted the young plants will have to be fenced in so as 

 to prevent the cattle from eating up the leaflets of which they 

 are very fond. Catch crops such as maize, cassava, potatoes c^tch crops 

 and such like may be taken off the land when alluvial loams '"^v^^ 

 are planted with cocoa-nuts, but it must be remembered that 

 these crops tend to impoverish the soil and an effort should 

 be made to return in manure what has been taken away by 

 the catch crops. Where possible the land should be irrigated, irrigation. 

 as the young plants require a great deal of water to bring 

 them rapidly into bearing, and to produce vigorous and 



