38 



roots will "break, and the sprouts "be severed froro tlie nuts. 

 If, on the other hand, th.6;:' are depos.i-':ed on uneven ground or 

 too moist soils, both the fibrous covering and the eyes will 

 rot, and the seeds come to grief, 



Nurseries sho\0.d be somewhat exposed to the influence of 

 the sun, though not too much heat ; plants thus grown will, 

 even thoucjilT deficleiait in stature, "be strong, and when trans- 

 planted will not fail nor suffer from heat. Should plants, 

 howev^^r, have "but little sun, no great harm is done ; "but if 

 they "be grown entirely under cover, insects will infest them, 

 the stems will "be long, tapering, and weak, the fronds vjxl^ "be 

 often una"b le to sustain their o-wm weight, and when transplanted, 

 each successive hot season vrill affect the trees. 



The plant in;'; of the nuts should take place from January to 

 April, and also in August, provided the rains are not heavy, 

 and then the planter may expect fruitful trees to "be prodviced 

 when grown ; "but nurseries for-med during the heavy monsoon 

 will generally fail, or pr oduce trees which will yield small 

 nuts. Too much moisture of every kind is injurioixs to plants. 



The seed "beds, when the plants are to "be nursed, should 

 "be well dug to a"bout two feet deep, -md all stones, roots of 

 trees, etc, removed ; the cocoanuts should then "be laid along 

 flat on their side in the soil, in such a way that all but two 

 inches of them be buried, the interval between the nuts being 

 about a foot %t least. Should the spaces be too great, the 

 plants will have too many roots, and the sun will not be shaded 



