SELECTION OF SEED 111 



are produced in fairly large numbers — as many as a 

 tree can well carry — of nuts of this size. One tree 

 especially well situated produced during the entire 

 time which I spent at San Eamon at the rate of 220 

 nuts per year, 55 being the average for three successive 

 cuttings three months apart, and understood to be the 

 usual yield of this tree. 



Second : The Laguna nut. This is the ordinary 

 coco-nut of the archipelago as a whole, and represents 

 in creditable form the typical coco-nut of the whole 

 world. Of these nuts the average number required is 

 5600 for each metric ton of copra. As a basis for 

 comparison with some other countries, it may be said 

 that this would represent very satisfactory nuts in 

 Ceylon ; that in Samoa 6000 nuts are in general re- 

 garded as necessary for each ton ; that weighing of 

 a few African nuts indicates 6450 as needed to make 

 one ton of copra ; and that of the usual run of Trinidad 

 nuts 6600 are required. It is to be understood that 

 the dwarf varieties are not included in any of these 

 figures. The Laguna nuts, like the San Eamon nuts, 

 will occasionally produce fruit in five or six years ; 

 under altogether favourable conditions a plantation 

 should be in general bearing in eight years, the time 

 under less favourable conditions being from ten years 

 upward. These figures represent in general the time 

 necessary in every country which has a great coco-nut 

 industry. 



Third : The coco nino or baby coco-nut. This 

 variety is found in the Zamboanga district accompany- 

 ing the San Eamon nuts, from which it is locally 

 exceedingly distinct. Seven thousand or more of 

 these are required to produce one ton of copra. This 

 coco-nut produces fruit at the age of four years, when 

 the trunk is so short that the nuts can be collected for 

 several years by persons standing on the ground. This 

 nut has a rather thick and hard copra, and, as far as 

 regards the number of nuts, is exceedingly productive. 

 The tree which has already been mentioned, which in 



