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THE COCO-NUT 



northern part of Ceylon. What is known as the Jaffna 

 method, because in use in that district, consists in a 

 double transplanting. The nuts here are placed in 

 seed beds at distances of 30 centimetres apart. After 

 eight to twelve months they become too large to be 

 left so close together. They are then transplanted into 

 larger beds, and spaced in general about 1*5 metres 

 each way. In these they are left for three or four years, 

 and during this time are manured, watered, and given 

 careful cultivation. So much care and attention is not 

 economically possible in most places ; but the treatment 

 given the trees in this second bed can well be applied 

 elsewhere to the beds used for reserve nuts, since it is 

 worth while in order to prevent vacancies in the 

 plantation to fill blank spaces at a cost greater than 

 would be reasonable for the average of all the trees. 

 The Jaffna method demands cheap labour ; and even 

 with labour cheap in proportion to the value of land, 

 it is only worth while where the soil is light and there 

 are severe dry seasons. 



