July, 19] 2. J 



17 



Oils and Fats. 



stages of development. This fact neces- 

 sitates judgment on the part of the gath- 

 erer, as only those nuts that are ripe 

 should be gathered if required tor making 

 copra of good quality. The nuts are pro- 

 duced in bunches of from ten to twelve 

 or more nuts each. In the case of trees 

 that are not too tall, a knife attached to 

 a bamboo rod is used to obtain the nuts, 

 but this method is not recommended, as 

 frequently immature nuts are detached 

 with those that are ripe. A more com- 

 mon and better method of harvesting is 

 for native gatherers to climb the trees 

 and throw down the ripe nuts. It is 

 estimated that when the estate is in full 

 bearing, one coolie can harvest 400 nuts 

 a day. The advantage of this method is 

 that it enables the gatherer not only to 

 select the ripe nuts for harvesting, but 

 also to remove dead leaves, flower-stalks, 

 spathes, and ant-nests from the crown of 

 of the tree, and to search for beetles and 

 other insect pests. In a few countries the 

 ripe nuts are allowed to remain until 

 they fall naturally from the trees. To 

 facilitate climbing it is the common 

 practice to notch the trunk of the trees 

 in order to provide footholds for the 

 elimbers. Notches should not be made 

 in young trees, but only in those that 

 have a hard woody trunk. The notches 

 should be shallow, and should on no 

 account reach the soft inner portion of 

 the trunk, or they are liable to start 



disease. The lower cut of the notch 

 should slope outwards, so that moisture 

 is not retained. 



Hulling.— The removal of the outer 

 fibrous husk of the coconut, known as 

 hulling, is effected by striking the fruit 

 on the pointed end of an iron bar or 

 piece of hard wood fixed firmly in the 

 ground. A sharp blow, followed by a 

 dexterous twist, loosens the tough 

 fibrous material, which is then easily 

 removed. It is estimated that one 

 coolie can hull about 1,000 nuts a day. 

 On modern estates machines capable of 

 decorticating about 500 to 1,000 nuts 

 per hour are now employed. The husks 

 are left by the machines in the best 

 possible condition for the extraction of 

 coir fibre. 



Cost of Forming a Plantation. 

 The cost of forming a coconut planta- 

 tion and of maintaining it until it 

 reaches the producing stage naturally 

 varies in different localities, being 

 influenced mainly by the price or rent 

 of land, the character and condition of 

 the soil, and the supply and cost of 

 labour. 



The following estimate of the cost of 

 opening up and bringing into bearing a 

 coconut plantation of 500 acres in the 

 coast districts of Federated Malay States 

 is quoted by the Government Inspector of 

 Coconut Plantations {Bulletin No.lt. 1910, 

 Department of Agriculture., F.M.S.):— 



Expenditure. 



First Year. Premium 1,500, quit rent 500, survey fees 500, felling 6,000, 

 draining 6,000, seed 2,750, fencing 1,500, lining and plan- 

 ting 1,000, coolie lines 500, bungalow 1,200, tools 250, 

 stationery 100, medical 1,500, weeding, first six months 

 at 150 per acre,contingencies 1,000, superintendence 3,600 



Second Fear. Rent 500, weeding 6,000, superintendence 3,600, medical 

 and contingencies 2,000 ... ... 



Third Year. Rent 500, weeding 6,000, superintendence 3,600, medical 

 and contingencies 2,000 



Fourth Year. As above, but weeding only 3,600... 



Fifth Year. „ „ 3,000 ... 



* dollar = 2s. id. 



Straits 

 dollars. * 



32,400 



12,100 



12,100 

 9,700 

 9,100 



