V 



FIELD CULTURE 



129 



believe that a less distance than 8 metres is ever to be 

 recommended ; where the trees cannot make good use 

 of all the space when they are this far apart, it is not 

 worth while to go into the business of raising coco-nuts. 

 If the trees are planted 10 metres apart they will fruit 

 well enough so that under any conditions, excepting at 

 any rate those which are very exceptionally favourable, 

 they will give a larger return per hectare than if they 

 are placed much farther apart. It must be observed, 

 however, that the total returns from the land do not 

 have to depend upon the coco-nut alone, and that if a 

 wide spacing is adopted, the opportunity for catch-crops, 

 or for the use of the same land as pasture, may make 

 the total and the net returns greater than if attention 

 is given entirely to the coco-nuts. This consideration 

 will presently be discussed at more length. 



The given distance between trees having been 

 decided upon, it should be observed that the common 

 method of planting in squares, so that the rows run 

 regularly in two directions which are at right angles to 

 one another, does not make as complete and perfect a 

 use of the land as can be done by having the trees 

 alternate in the alternate rows. The latter method is 

 commonly known as planting in quincunx, or may be 

 described as planting in diamond or triangle. Adopting 

 this method and assuming a distance of 10 metres 

 between trees, the stakes for the first row made will be 

 this distance apart in a straight line. Keturning then 

 to the beginning of the second row, describe an arc of 

 a circle with a radius of 10 metres from each of the 

 first two trees in the first row. The point of inter- 

 section of these two lines is the location of the first 

 tree of the second row. The second tree is located 

 likewise by arcs described from the second and third 

 trees of the first row, etc. The distance between the 

 first row and the second row is about 8f metres. The 

 other rows are located in the same manner and of 

 course fall the same distance apart, But while these 

 rows are approximately 8f metres apart, there is no 



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