COCONUTS IN THE COCOS-KEELING ISLANDS. 



" In some respects the methods of cultivation of the palm 

 adopted by Mr. ROSS do not coincide with general practice, and a 

 few facts respecting the points in which Mr. Ross's experience 

 has induced him to depart from the common custom, may be of 

 interest. 



"Seed nuts are taken from any palm of the Sea Island species 

 without regard to its age. Eighty trees are planted to the acre, 

 care being taken to avoid regularity in 'Mining"- The reason for 

 this is that the wind does less damage when the trees are not in 

 rows. Another very wise precaution to prevent the palms being 

 uprooted by the wind is to plant the seed nuts at the bottom of 

 holes 3 feet deep. The holes so dug arc not filled up by hand 

 seeing that the light sandy soil fills up the holes in the course of 

 time. The roots of palms planted in this manner are naturally 

 deeper and better covered than those of trees grown from seed 

 embedded in the usual manner, immediately below the surface. 



" It is stated by Mr. ROSS that a series of experiments ha< 

 proved to him that nuts which are allowed to fall contain an 

 average of 10 to 12 per cent, more copra than an equal number of 

 carefully picked nuts. 



t( Though at times the islands have suffered to some extent from 

 the ravages of coconut beetle, yet men are never employed to cap- 

 ture and kill these pests. The trees which show signs of harbour- 

 ing beetles are cut down and burnt." 



A. S. BAXENDALE. 



Colonial Reports, No, 402. 



RHINOCEROS BEETLES IN SOIL. 



The annexed letters from Mr. Dell of Teluk Anson, Perak, 

 give an account of a great outbreak of the rhinoceros beetle 

 Or-ycirs rhinoceros in Perak and the means taken to destroy the 

 insects. The interesting thing about this is that the larva- seem 

 to have been living in ordinary soil. I have found the grubs abun- 

 dant in decaying sawdust, cowdung and rotten leaves and wood, 

 but have never known previously of its occurring in ordinary soil 

 which, as a rule, docs not contain enough nutriment for it. The 

 soil must have been very rich in decaying vegetable matter. The 

 plan of flooding the ground seems to have answered most satisfac- 

 torily. It would probably be also advisable, if possible, to let the 

 grass and low herbage grow over the ground after this has been 

 done, as I observed on a previous occasion in a tannery in Singa- 

 pore, where a vast quantity of rotten tan bark had accumulated 

 and was of full heetles and grubs when on the abandonment of the 

 ground the soil was covered with low scrub the beetles and grubs 

 quite disappeared. After a year or so when the insects had gone 

 the scrub could be cut down again if necessary. 



