and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— Sep., 1910. 



SELECTION OF COCONUT FOR 

 PLANTING. 



A series of articles cn the coconut palm in 

 French West Africa is appearing in L' Agri- 

 culture Pratique des Pays Chauds. The following 

 information, dealing with the selection of nuts 

 for planting, is translated from pa-t of the in- 

 stalment in the May number of this journal : — 



The excellent results that are derived, in the 

 different branches of agricultural production, 

 from the selection of seed, are well-known. 

 More especially, this gives a means to a very 

 large extent, of increasing the yield, improving 

 the quality of the product, making the plant 

 more resistant to untoward climatic conditions, 

 and to the attacks of diseases and insects. 

 Applied in the case of the coconut, this method 

 has all the greater interest, because the plant 

 occupies the soil for several years, and if there 

 is not great care in taking every precaution for 

 the purpose of obtaining healthy, vigorous and 

 productive trees, the ill-effects of negligence at 

 the commencement will be repeated every year, 

 and will make themselves felt in a serious 

 manner. 



In regard to this matter, the planter may find 

 himself in several different sets of circum- 

 stances, depending on whether he is working 

 in a region where coconuts for sowing cannot 

 be obtained on the spot, or whether he has at 

 his disposal plants which can provide him with 

 all that he requires for sowing purposes. 



In the first case, he cannot make a selection, 

 in the widest sense of the word. He has to be 

 content to effect a choice among the nuts which 

 he has obtained from regions which are often 

 distant from him, and he is unable to ascertain 

 for certain, the origin of his planting material. 



According to Prudhomme, the greatest pre- 

 cautions must be taken in this case. The selec- 

 tion should be commenced by taking all the 

 nuts of which the form and size approach most 

 nearly to those of the variety which is being 

 planted. If it is a matter, on the other hand, 

 of a mixture of many kinds, the qualities fp 

 which are only slightly known, it is necessary 

 first to break several of the nuts, so as to 

 get an idea of the worth of each kind in con- 

 nection with the yield of fresh copra, in 

 order to be in a position to eliminate those 

 which are of the least value. In those cases, 

 though these aro rare, where it is not possible 

 to conduct an examination of this kind, the 

 planter must bo contented with reserving for 

 sowing purposos all the nuts which are of 

 medium wine and of regular shape. In this way, 

 the nuts will have to bo examined one by one for 

 the purpose of ascertaining, by means of tho 

 odour, the appearance, tho sound and the fee- 

 ling, the degree of maturity and freshness, and 

 choosing in preference the heaviest fruits, with 

 a smooth skin and without blemish. 



The way in which it may be found out if a nut 

 is ripe, will be indicated later. Traces of mould 

 around the place of attachment of the stalk show 

 most often that the fruits have been gathered 

 before becoming matured ; such fruits should 

 not be used. 



When the planter is working in a region where 

 the coconut palm grows naturally, the first stage 

 in its selection will have relation to the trees. 

 According to Prudhomme, again, the nuts which 

 are to be used for sowing should have been pro- 

 duced by very healthy and vigorous trees, at the 

 middle of the life-period, that is to say, by those 

 which are about twenty to twenty-five years old; 

 such trees should be of rapid growth, producing 

 abundant crops of good quality. In addition to 

 this, it is advisable to choose for the purpose, 

 as far as possible, seeds from plants which are 

 growing on a soil resembling as nearly as pos- 

 sible that of the plantation which is being made, 

 and to avoid too great differences between the 

 climate of the locality where the plants have to 

 grow, and that of the place where the seeds 

 were produced. 



It should bo added that, in consideration of 

 the difficulties connected with the harvesting of 

 the nuts, tho seed nuts should be collected from 

 plants possessing a short stem. 



The second stage will have relation to the nuts 

 produced by the chosen trees. It has been in- 

 dicated above what considerations should bo 

 taken as a guide in selecting these. In addition 

 to what has been said, Prudhomme recommends' 

 in most cases, a choice, in preference, of 



NUTS POSSESSING A MESOCARr WHICH 13 ONLY 

 SLIGHTLY THICK, 



especially in countries where the production 

 of coir is not likely to be of any great ex- 

 tent. This recommendation appears to possess 

 a definite importance, especially where it is in- 

 tended to make a plantation on a poor soil, be- 

 cause the fibrous coverings of the nut take up a 

 large part of the nutritive material absorbed by 

 the plants. On lands which are better endowed, 

 this precaution becomes less indispensable, for 

 in every well kept plantations, these coverings 

 should form a valuable means of making a return 

 to the soil, either directly or through the cattle 

 pen ; that is, if it is not desired to make an in- 

 dustrial use of them. The employment of the 

 largest nuts for planting is sometimes strongly 

 recommended; it seems in most cases that plan- 

 ters do not agree with this, thinking that the 

 better plan is to give the preference to nuts of 

 medium size. In a general way, tho largest fruits 

 are naturally produced by healthy and vigorous 

 trees ; but the number given is relatively less 

 considerable ; in addition, it is not rare to see 

 coconut plants, with fruits of medium size, giv- 

 ing a total crop which is larger than from a 

 variety having big fruits ; for that which is lost 

 in volume is almost always compensated for 

 largely by the number of nuts obtained. It has 

 been noticed equally, that the very large nuts 

 are provided with a very thick coir ; on tho 

 other hand, the nut proper only coutains a thin 

 layer of albumen. These nuts belong more par- 

 ticularly to the kind that is useful for drinking 

 purposes, They please the eye, but do not al- 

 ways merit tho planters' attention. 



An idea of the thickness of the fibrous enve- 

 lope can be easily obtained by pushing a knife 

 blade into it. 



A final condition of the very first importance 

 that should be fulfilled by seed coconuts is that 

 of being perfectly ripe, but not dry. Prudhomme 



