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FIELD CULTURE 157 



be accordingly stated as a probably correct conclusion 

 that of these three most important fertilizing substances 

 the coco-nut in general demands potash first, nitrogen 

 next or with it, and then phosphorus. Even this much 

 of a conclusion must be regarded as tentative and of 

 by no means universal application. As evidence against 

 this order of importance, it should be remarked that 

 fish refuse, which is a fertilizer conspicuously rich in 

 phosphorus, seems always to produce a conspicuously 

 more thrifty development of the coco-nut. 



The second method of investigating the need of 

 fertilizers and their effectiveness is experimentation in 

 their application and observation of the results. This 

 is the only method which gives absolutely reliable 

 evidence from the scientific point of view, or which 

 can give evidence which is certainly applicable to any 

 particular coco-nut grove. The information available as 

 a result of work of this kind is astonishingly meagre. 

 The German Potash Syndicate has published a few 

 results indicating the profitableness of applying potash 

 alone and in combination. From personal knowledge 

 of the methods employed by the; Potash Syndicate in 

 securing such information, I can say that no suspicion 

 attaches to the validity of these statements because of 

 their origin. It has been clearly shown here, and on 

 private plantations in Ceylon, that the application of 

 potash has resulted in sufficiently more thrifty develop- 

 ment to make the treatment decidedly profitable. In 

 the experiments made, the application of phosphorus in 

 the form of basic slag has been likewise profitable. 



There are also in the literature a considerable 

 number of notes by individuals, which purport to show 

 that by the application of fertilizers of one kind or 

 another excellent results have been produced. Such 

 statements are usually of questionable general value, 

 because experimentation of this kind by individual 

 planters is usually inexpert. The experiments are 

 likely to be undertaken without the necessary pre- 

 cautions to exclude interference by other factors, and 



