224 



THE COCOANUT PALM. 



the whole tree. The difference is easily seen by comparison with 

 those in sheltered positions. The holes or pits into which the plants 

 are to be transplanted, should be severally 12 yards distant on back- 

 waters, but where a deep alluvial soil is found, 8 or 10 yards are 

 enough. These distances are necessary, otherwise the trees not having 

 room to expand their tops, repel each other and grow in diagonal 

 positions, and are easily blown down or overset. Too close a neigh- 

 bourhood also tends to draw up the trees into long feeble stems, 

 shoots, fronds, and small fruit. In a level, loose soil, the hole should 

 be a cube, of a yard and a half, on hill- sides 2 to 2 J yards, but in low 

 grounds half or three-quarters of a yard deep with one yard square is 

 sufficient. If the pits are not wide and sufficiently deep, the roots 

 soon appear above the surface of the surrounding ground, and the 

 hold upon the earth is weak, nor is sufficient nourishment obtained, 

 and the monsoon storms quickly overturn the tree where the soil is 

 marshy, though the hole need only be large enough to contain the 

 seed and roots, and in a cold clayed ground, the holes are filled with 

 sand and the plant deposited in it. Again, in low marshes, banks or 

 terraces should be thrown up and consolidated previous to planting. 

 If in any of these cases plants of two or three years old are used, 

 the pits must be at least 2^ yards every way. The pits should be 

 dug from two to six months before planting, and then prepared first 

 by having heaps of fuel and weeds burned in them, and subsequently 

 by manuring. The fresh earth is supposed to be full of ants and 

 worms, and itself injurious to the new plant, and to hinder growth ; 

 on the contrary, there are some planters who deny this statement and 

 think the burning and manure not to be necessary. In low situated 

 plantations new holes may be preferred and quick planting. No time 

 should be lost in the removal from the nursery to the pits, indeed 

 the day should not pass, — in which case within the month new roots 

 and fronds may be looked for ; but where this proves impracticable, if 

 the plants are kept cool and in shade, four to six or eight days have 

 been known to intervene, but followed by very great loss in the number 

 of successful trees. Inside the pits smaller ones should be made and 

 filled with salt and ashes mixed with mould, into which the young 

 plants are to be planted, with the nuts just covered with this compost. 

 Some shade must be afforded, and care taken that the plants be not 

 shaken or removed from their first position, and occasionally water 

 should be sprinkled over them. The compost must be used when 

 there is but a small proportion of sand in the soil. Ashes will suffice 

 on the sea-shore, and sand in marshy and loamy soils. The roots of a 

 plant under a year which are broken (but according to many planters all 

 found on the nuts in the nursery) should have their ends cut, as new 

 ones are supposed to be hastened by the process. Turmeric and 

 arrowroot are often planted in the same pits with the cocoanut, as 

 they are supposed in some way to repel white ants, rats, &c. After 

 the plants are in, little pandals or sheds with twigs and branches 

 should be made to protect them for the next six months, from too 

 great heat of noon-day sun ; this prevents withering of the leaves or 

 any check to the growth of the roots. 



On dry soils the plants ought to be watered twice a day for the first 



