THE COCO-NUT PALM. 557 



they cost formerly, viz., about 4 or 5 per acre, and can be kept in order, 

 inclusive of all charges, for about 153. to 20s. per acre for the first two years, 

 and about half that afterwards. Estates, in some instances, have been put in 

 for about 3 per acre. 



Elephants have almost disappeared ; now and then a stray one comes. Pigs 

 are still a great nuisance, but the greatest anxiety among planters is regarding 

 beetles. You will be sorry to hear that the first year the trees showed fruit or 

 flower, one-tenth of them were destroyed by the beetle ; the insects still go on 

 destroying, and hardly a tree attacked ever recovers. 



This is a very brious evil, and upon which the fortunes of all those involved 

 in coco-nut planting depend. The trees come into bearing but very slowly, and 

 I consider no estate will give any return over its current expenses under twelve 

 years. It takes twelve months from the formation of the flower, till the fruit 

 ripens. On an estate, perhaps one of the oldest and best in this district, out of 

 120 acres, part seven and eight years old, about 12 per cent, are in flower or in 

 bearing, and give a return of about twenty-four nuts per tree, on an average, 

 yearly. On the next oldest, the return is not near so great. But few of the 

 estates here will, I think, pay interest on the money laid out, and many will 

 never pay anything over the expense of keeping them up, even after coming 

 into bearing. I doubt if any estate in this district, however economically man- 

 aged, will ever give a net return of more than 2, or perhaps of 2 I Os. per acre, 

 at least without there is a great increase in the consumption of oil in Europe. The 

 consumption of this oil, in Europe, is under 5,000 tons. If the beetles do not 

 destroy half the trees, the estates here when in bearing, if they yield anything, 

 will give half that quantity ; and it must be borne in mind that coco-nut oil is 

 not a strong oil, like palm oil, and that soap boilers will never use it to any 

 extent, for it will allow but little admixture of rosin, &c. ; its use in Europe 

 will be principally for candles and fancy soaps; but as by refining and com- 

 pression they can now purify tallow, and make of it candles fully equal to those 

 made from coco -nut oil, the consumption of the latter is not likely to increase. 

 The consumption of candles is always limited on the continent of Europe, liquid 

 oil being preferred, and in many instances gas is now being used where candles 

 formerly were. 



The return of land planted with coco-nut trees in Ceylon, in 

 1851, was 22,500 acres ; but this refers only to regular estates 

 recently opened and cultivated chiefly by Europeans. Let us 

 suppose that the natives possess besides, twenty millions of trees ; 

 Butollac in his time estimated the number at thirteen millions. 

 At 100 trees to the acre, twenty millions of trees give 100,000 

 acres, so that the total amount of land planted with coco nut trees 

 would be 122,500 acres. 



An hydraulic press, for the manufacture of coco-nut oil, 1,200 

 horse power and weighing twenty-three tons, was cast at the Ceylon 

 Iron AVorks, in 1850, by Messrs. Nelson and Son. 



In the island of Singapore there are now many extensive 

 plantations in a very flourishing condition, holding out favorable 

 prospects to the proprietors. Hitherto the island has been supplied 

 almost wholly from abroad with nuts and oil for its consumption, 

 which will, before long, be obtained exclusively from its own soil. 

 In 1846 there were 10,000 coco-nut trees in bearing in Singa- 

 pore. 



I have omitted to notice, in the foregoing observations, a very- 

 mistaken notion which prevails in many quarters, that it is best to 

 let the trees drop their fruit, and not to pick the nuts when ripe. 

 Nature directs differently. As soon as the husk of the nut is more 

 brown than green it should be picked. It then makes better oil 



