80 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



Rubber Growing on Waste Land. 



Land which is not fit for growing Hevea rubber trees or Coffee, Cocoa, 

 Tea, etc., can be made to yield good profits by cultivating the new 

 varieties : — 



Manihot Dichotoma Ule for Clay Soil 

 Manihot Piauiensis Ule for Sandy Soil 



Both of these varieties also grow well in dry regions with very good results. 

 For trial orders we send 10 lbs. (about 3,700 seeds) by parcel post, includ- 

 ing postage, on receipt of £3. Always state full postal address. Bags 

 of 135 lbs. at the rate of 3/6. per lb. delivered in Hamburg. Orders may be 

 booked through your European Agents or sent direct to us. 



Detailed information on application. 



Gevekoht & Wedekind 



Hamburg 1. 



Telegraphic-Address : " Gevekind Hamburg." 

 :: A. B. C. Code 5th Edition. :: 



THE BRAZILIAN COCO-PALM. 



Pernambuco is situated in the centre of the 

 tropical part of Brazil, within which the coco- 

 palm grows most luxuriantly. The coco-palm 

 seems to bo indigenous to the district* which 

 extends from the vicinity of Bahia on the south 

 to Parahyba on the north, but it attains its fully 

 luxuriant and most prolific development in the 

 vicinity of Pernambuco. The coco-palm is one 

 of the most beautiful and attractive natural 

 adornments of many of the public parks and 

 privatb gardens of Pernambuco, often attaining 

 a height of from eighty to ninety feet. The 

 trunk is without branches, and the leave* which 

 cluster in a tuft at the top are fiom fifteen to 

 twenty feet in length. At the base of the leaves 

 the nuts hang in clusters, the number varying 

 from three to fifteen according to the age and 

 condition of the tree. The United States Con- 

 sul at Pernambuco says that the nut is first 

 planted in its natural state with hull and fibre. 

 At the expiration of about twelve months, or 

 when the plant has reached a height of about 

 three feet, it is transplanted and set out in rows 

 about forty feet apart. If cultivated and irri- 

 gated the tree will produce at the end of five 

 years, otherwise it will require about ten years 

 to produce. Although the rainfall within the 



* Not so we think and DC Candolleis our authority — 

 this palm has its habitat in the Eastern Archipelago, 

 about Sumatra.— I' d., CO. 



coast region averages about eighty inches per 

 annum, it all occurs during the months of the 

 rainy season, and often when it is of no service 

 to certain vegetation. The summers are hot 

 and dry, and young plants and trees need 

 to be irrigated. There are two coconut markets 

 in the city of Pernambuco, one for the green 

 and the other for the mature or dried nuts. 

 The green nuts, which are picked at about the 

 end of five months, and before the real meat of 

 the nut has begun to form inside, are composed 

 entirely of water, which forms one of the prin- 

 cipal and most popular beverages of the neigh- 

 bourhood. The water is non-alcoholic, and when 

 iced is converted into a most savoury refrigerant. 

 Its action is diuretic. When the nut is partially 

 mature the inside is sometimes extracted, and 

 by the use of sugar and some other ingredients 

 is converted into a popular confection. The 

 meat of thedried or ripe nut is used exclusively 

 for food, being usually seasoned and mixed with 

 different provisions for flavouring purposes. The 

 owner of one of the large plantations in Per- 

 nambuco has recently stated that he averaged 

 about four shillings net profit per annum from 

 each tree. The greater proportion of the nuts 

 are consumed locally, but a considerable quan- 

 tity is shipped to Rio de Janeiro and other 

 cities of Brazil, and also to European countries 

 where the improved facilities for extracting the 

 oil have greatly enhanced their value. — Royal 

 Society of Arts Journal, June 16, 



