Edible Products, 



128 



[Feb. 190S. 



Mr. Swanston :— I would like to ask him 



whether the immortelle gives water to 

 the cacao tree or not, or whether we can 

 do without it. I would be glad if he 

 could tell us whether the immortelle is 

 of any help at all to the cacao. I asked 

 that question two years ago of Mr. Hart? 



Mr. Barrett : — That is too big a ques- 

 tion to be answered in a short time. As I 

 said in a previous address, it is a favour- 

 ite belief (utterly unfounded I feel sure) 

 among planters that in a dry spell, the 

 immortelle says, as it were, to the cacao : 

 — '• Here ! I have plenty of water, you 

 are suffering, let me give you some." 

 They seem to believe that the water in 

 the immortelle root is yielded up and 

 goes into the cacao roots. But I cannot 

 understand how a man can believe that, 

 if he stops and thinks what roots are 

 and what roots do. It is beyond my 

 imagination to conceive water getting 

 from one root into the soil and over into 

 another root ! Of course we must re- 

 member that the shade given to the soil 

 by the immortelle branches and leaves — 

 when they happen to be on— does keep 

 the moisture in the soil ; and in that way 

 you might almost go so far as to say that 

 the immortelle indirectly assists the 

 cacao to keep the moisture in the soil, 

 which without the shade would crack ; 

 and once a ci ack is formed in the soil it 

 acts like a chimney, and every panicle 

 of moisture goes out. Most of the 

 planters notice the dangerous drying 

 and cracking of the soil where an immor- 

 telle has fallen or died out, and probably 

 that is responsible for the widely pre- 

 valent and strongly rooted idea, that 

 you cannot grow without immortelle 

 shade. I repeat that if you properly 

 shade your soil by any thick leguminous 

 cover crop, thus keeping in the moisture, 

 your plants will have less indigestion by 

 having more sunlight. 



His Excellency :— I am very sorry that 

 the notice given for this meeting was 

 very short, and I had already made 

 another engagement which I ha,ve to 

 keep now that I have got notice of it. I 

 am very pleased to have had the pleasure 

 of listening to Mr. Barrett's interesting 

 and instructive paper, and with your 



Fermission I will ask Dr. Morton, Vice- 

 resident of the Society, to take the 

 chair. 



His Excellency then retired. 



Mr. R. W. Gordon:—! would like to 

 ask Mr. Barrett what time he recom- 

 mends for the spraying of pods,— and 

 how long each application will last, 

 bearing in mind the rainy and dry 

 geason ? 



Mr. Barrett : — Bordeaux mixture pro- 



prely made will stick from four to 

 eight weeks. 



Mr. Gordon :- During the dry as well as 



the wet season ? 



Mr. Barrett :— Yes. 



Mr. Swanston :— I don't know if Mr. 

 Barrett has seen the groundnut growing 

 as shade. That does not climb at all, 

 and I think it is beneficial to the man 

 planting it, aud would be good for the 

 cacao also. 



Mr. Barrett :— It. is not quite the thing 

 to be used as a cover crop for several 

 reasons which I have not time to state 

 now. I must simply advise against the 

 groundnut, or peanut, as a cover crop. 



Mr. Swauston :— I can show you I have 

 peanut growing now in shade as mulch. 



THE COCONUT INDUSTRY IN 

 TRAVANCORE. 



Of late there has been an unprece- 

 dented increase in the price of coconuts 

 and other products of the coconut palm, 

 and it is very unsatisfactory that no 

 attempts are being made either by the 

 people or the Government to improve 

 this important industry in Travancore. 

 " It is," as Mr. G. T. Mackenzie, who 

 was for some time British Resident in 

 Travancore and Cochin, remarked, " the 

 plain truth that Travancore lives on 

 this tree. The wharves at Allepey aud 

 Cochin are covered with the various 

 products of the coconut — barrels of oil, 

 tons of kernel, bales of coir which from 

 these ports find their way all over the 

 world " Witnout the money obtained 

 by this export of the coconut, the people 

 ot Travancore could not buy from 

 Burinah the rice that keeps them alive, 

 or from Jaffna the tobacco that keeps 

 them contented. The coconut palm is 

 an enormous source of wealth to Travan- 

 core, and the following trade statistics 

 will bear out this statement. In the 

 year 1079 (1903-04) 1080 (1904-05) the value 

 of copra exported from Travancore was 

 Rs. 14,9(5,514 and Rs. 15,45,112 ; coconut 

 oil Rs. 13,77,622 and Rs. 13,07,762; coir 

 Rs. 38.10,076; and Rs. 39,12,499; fibre, 

 Rs. 7,904 and Rs. 9,627 ; aud coconuts Rs. 

 3,87,679 and Rs. 3,21,714 respectively. In 

 fact the trade in these several products 

 represented nearly half the entire ex- 

 ports of Travancore. In addition to 

 the above, there is the trade in jaggery, 

 which on the average comes to Rs. 5 

 lakhs per annum. Thus it will be seen 

 that coconut cultivation, while bringing 

 in a handsome revenue to the State, 

 gives support to a considerable portion 



