THE PALMS OF BEITISR INDIA AND CEYLON. 33o 



have shown the superiority of the niit, and would seem to demons- 

 trate that this is not merely due to astringent action ; it is quite 

 possible that its property as a nervine stimulant enhances its utilitj''. 



Cultivation. — It would be too long to describe the different 

 methods of cultivation adopted in various parts of India and extra- 

 Indian countries. We confine ourselves to reproducing what Watt 

 says on the cultivation in Bengal*; as to the rest of India ^^■e 

 refer our readers to the numerous Gazetteers which contain interest- 

 ing particulai's on this subject, f 



" In the districts of Backerganj and Noakhali the Areca palms 

 are planted in groves of mandar {Erythrina indica). These enrich 

 the soil, afford shade from the intense heat and protection from 

 sudden wind storms. Branches of the mandar, some 6 feet in 

 length, are planted in rows, 12 to 15 feet apart each way. The 

 planting is done in February to April, and from 2 to 6 years later 

 these plantations are ready for the seedling palms. The betel-nuts 

 are sown in October or November, the seeds being deposited 4 or 5 

 inches apart, and the nurseries are either close to the homesteads in 

 shady places, or if conveniently sitiiated, thej^ are made in the 

 mandar groves themselves. The transplanting is usually done after 

 2 years, sometimes 3 or 4 years. For high lands the seedlings are 

 transplanted in July, for low land in February or April. In the 

 first transplanting the betel-nuts are placed equi-distant from the 

 mandar trees and thus 12 to 15 feet apart. But a second regular 

 transplanting takes place when the first have come into bearing. 

 Before this is done the mandar trees are cut down or only a fringe 

 left around the circumference of the grove. The betel-nuts in a 

 fully planted grove are thus about 6 to 7 feet apart each way. A 

 certain amount of irregular planting takes place, however, as 

 vacancies occur, and in selfishly conducted plantations the trees 

 may be found here and there not more than 2 or 3 feet apart. It 

 is probable that there is a certain amount of self-sowing, as it is 

 not unusual to find two or three trees growing in a clump so close to 

 each other that they could not be healthy. In most plantations 

 also a distinct percentage of cocoanuts are interplanted among the 

 betel-nuts, so that an old plantation in many cases has lost all its 

 original regularity and becomes a dense jungle of palms with only 

 a winding footpath leading to the owner's house. This generally 

 stands on the bank of a tank and near the middle of the holding. 



" The seasons of flowering and fruiting may be said to be distri- 

 buted throughout the year. The flowers that form in January will 

 ripen fruit in October ; the flowers formed in March will fruit m 

 December and January. The h arvesting period is from October to 



* Watt, G. Commercial Products of India, p. S-t. 



t See also N. V. Kelkar,— The Betel-nut Palm and its Cultivation m ISorth 

 Kanara. Poena Agricultural College Magazine, Vol. VII, No. 1 (Utl5). 



