March 1, 1889.J THE. TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
__ij__iuaiMiiiMLiiM«wr.-r r m - 1 ir ■> i~n * "* " — 
595 
old and dies at from 90 to 100. lu oidor that credit 
may not accrue to mo for great research on this subject, 
I may say that I culled all this information from 
"All About the Coconut Palm " compiled and pub- 
lished by the Messrs. Ferguson. 
When paying a visit to the late Mr. Charles do Breard 
about 7 years ago in company wi'h Mr. Frank Foenan- 
der, be pointed out to us a tree which he said was then 
120 yearn old and was mentioned in the original title 
deoiis of tho property as growing on the 
boundary of it. His successor, Mr. Edward de 
J5roard will be able to give information of the ago of 
this tree after consulting tho title deeds if it will bo 
of auy interest. At the time I saw it, the tree was 
hearing heavily owing no doubt to its proximity to 
the stables from which it reci ived all the liquid ex- 
crements of the horses. The fertility of this tree is 
proof of coconut trees not beiDg affected prejudicially 
by cultivation as to their longevity, au opinion for which 
you give credit to a woll-kuown correspondent of 
yo irs, but which has not been called in question by 
anyone as far as I know. What has been repeatedly 
urged in your columns is that stimulating youug 
plants into early bearing by the application of phos- 
phutio manures is inconsistent with longevity. As to 
the height of the coconut palm, all the authorities I 
have quoted above give 100 ft. as an extreme height ; 
thirty nut* per annum is certainly a high general 
average of yield for each tree. 
In your article under notice you have raised a ques- 
tion which has puzzled me a good deal, aud which I 
shall he glad to see authoritatively elucidated — the 
effect on the cocouut tree of toddy- drawing. You say 
" at first sight it might seem that the constant ab- 
straction of the juice would be the more exhausting 
prooess (thau fruit-bearing), but we are bound to state 
that in the dense groves of the special amick region near 
Ivalutara, although fiuits were few and fur betweeD, 
the trees themselves looked fresh aud flourishing." 
What I cannot understand is why toddy drawing should 
be a more exhausting process than fruit-beariug ? It 
is well-known that as fruit matures, it requires a greater 
quantity of mineral matter for its development than 
in its imm-iture state. Coconuts can be no exception 
to tho rule. In the process of toddy-drawing tho trees 
are spired the woes and throos of a prolonged period 
ot growing and maturing fruit, and yield tho substances 
that go to form the fruit without further elaborating 
them. As laras Tthiuk, toddy-drawing will be more ex- 
hausting than fruit-beariug only if the process 
simulates trees to yield more mineral matter in the 
toddy they yield than iu au average fruit crop. 
This can be decided only by a competent chemist, 
aud I unfortunately am not able to solve it. It is 
well -known that trees after a period of toddy- 
yielding bear fruit heavily. Why is this? According 
to my thinkiug it is owing to the rest they enjoyed — 
comparatively of course.* I mast confess, however, 
that the weight of authority is against my opinion. 
Simmouds is contradictory surely when he says in oue 
parngraph that young trees as soou as they show 
spathes should be tapped for toddy for ouo season only, 
as the process helps the sap to Mow freely aud makes 
the fruit bunches more numerous, that toddy drawing 
for a (uw months in supposed to check the teudency 
iu young trees of dropping their nuts, and that in some 
places trees are never allowed to hear fruit, but are 
made to yield toddy always; and iu tho uoxt para- 
graph " overdrawing of toddy will cause luxuriant 
trees to dwindle away and acquire sickly h ibits," and 
that tries that have been lapped for l*> months 
should have a rest of f> years before they he made to 
yield toddy again. If yielding toddy is an exhausting 
process, surely the first call upou a young tree should 
not be to yield toddy, and if it is exhausting, how 
comes it that youug trees that bavo been made to 
yield toddy aro said to boar heavily, ami to give up the 
bad habit of dropping immature nuts? Porter Bays 
that "Toddy is drawn during 6 or S months of die 
* IJuerv : if it is not dn-j to the shock of drawing the 
lifo blood from the trees, followed by tho institutive 
tendency to pruuvrvu the spocius by plenteous fruit- 
bearing '— Lu. 
year, and the tree is allowed to recover its strength 
during the dry season." "0. A. L." quoted before 
says: "'The first extraction is usually made when the 
tree is about 8 years old, ami the issue, with daiiy 
attention, continues regularly 20 to 25 years," and 
here follows a contradiction "though young Tees are 
only tapped as t,bc constant bleeding feuds to weaken 
them after some time." As I said before the weight 
of authorities is against my opinion, but no reasons 
are adduced in support of the bare assertion of the 
authorities I have quoted, and 1 will be pardoued if 
I fail to be convinced by tbem. 
For the determination of this question of tapping 
-us. fruit yielding, I subjoin analyses of both products, 
so that you may call iu the aid of a competent 
chemi6t, say Mr. Oochran, to decide which is the more 
exhausting. A coconut tree is supposed to yield on an 
average 288 litres* of toddy per annum. 
Analysis of Toddy. 
Grammesf 
1-460 
•56 
■04 
•12 
Sugar 
Gum 
Oil ffiw'« :>w.jjr« 
Albumine... 
Chloride of sodium, acetate and sulphate 
of potash, phosphate of soda and of 
lime, silex. ... ... '26 
Water ... ... .. 84-42 
A Jaffna planter in years gone by reduced M. 
Lepiue's figures to lb. troy and tabulated the amount 
of mineral matter drawn aunually by an acre of 75 
trees yieluing 80 nuts per annum. The yield is excessive 
as an average and will be nearer the actual average if 
divided by 3. I however give his figures and leave the 
reduction to be made by whoever is goiug to make 
the investigation : — 
_ <m <N 
8 
■a i/s co 
» S 3 
in*. J 
* a £ 
•a o jz 
'B a. 
° 2 5 
J3 "S — 
o £ (=4 
3 JB 
m 3? 
* A litre— l'70O,7i.i piut. 
firs, mine lj graioo troy. 
