22 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. fJULY i, tS^s. 
CO'CONUT CULTIVATION IN CEYLON. 
We dit eot attentfon to the very valuable Dotee for 
young oooonut plamtere given below, compiled and 
placed at our disposal by " W. H. W."— initiale 
which will be readily recognised as these of one of 
the most BUCoeeBful planters in the island. How he 
baa made his Mirigama property so great a eucor.PB 
will be at once understood after perusing bis 
instructions to all who wish to follow his 
steps and have a thoroughly satisfactory coco- 
nut clearing and plantation of their own. How 
very diffeiently many planters have acted is only 
too evident in what we see in many 'Jireotions 
even in regular plantations; While native gardens 
are in the majority of oases planted after the 
most haphazard fasiion. One exception to the 
rule in the cane of small gardens was that for 
which we quotec^ Bta/istios the other day and to 
which our esteciied oorrespoMdent "Polgaha" 
makes reference elst-wl ere. The garden in question 
is situated opposite th e Mount Lavinia Hotel and 
was originally planted with very great care some 
time in the "forties " under the supervision of 
the Rev. J, G. Macvioa r, the learned and accom- 
pliflhed Scottish chaplain of that day. Mr. 
Macvioar bought Mount Lavinia from Government 
(as a great bargain) and going to reside in it, 
he, in his leisure title, gave attention to 
planting the 14 acres of waste land opposite with 
coconuts. Very vividly did the chaplain's 
daughter, Mrs. Green- who has just gone to England 
—lately recall the Eoene to us when as a very little 
girl, she watched her father's careful Belection 
of 'the nuts (after the fashion prescribed by 
" W. H. W.") for his servants to put in the nurBery. 
The garden is on fairly good soil, much of it 
oabook, and it has been favoured with washings 
from the high road and higher land for many 
years The trees which have yielded the average 
of 5li nuts each per annum for the past ten years 
must now be about 45 years old. "Polgaha " 's own 
experience is of special intersst : he gives returns for 
the two best fields on a valuiible plantation and 
the result is an average yield of 47 to 48 nuts, 
while the profii in a good year like 1892-93 
reached so satisfactory a figure as R130 an acre. 
What more could be wished ? Tea, no doubt, in 
special oases does better; but considering the 
oomparative permanency of the two industries, euoh 
coconut land, we suppose, ought to be worth 
double the value of tea land yielding the same 
profit per acre? In this connection, we call atten- 
tion to the information respiioting the use of 
coconuts in Uva afiofded by our correspondent 
" Viator." 
COCONUT CULTIVAT'ION. 
HINTS TO THOSE ABOUT TO OPKKf LAND UNDEE COCONUTS. 
Suitable land for coconuts having been purchased, it 
would, in my opinion, be very unwise to commit tLe 
common error of clearing it at once. One's first care 
should be the selection of nuts from well-grown, 
healthy trees whose branches do no;t droop or show a 
tendency to fall-off prematurely; the nuts should 
be large and heavy with a full kernel. So strongly 
am I of opinion that a careful choice of nuts 
is most essential, that I would recommend paying 
ElO or 15 more per 1,000 than the rates ruling, 
in the districts where you buy, for the privilege 
of being allowed a free hand in their selection. On 
deciding what nuts will suit you, send your men once 
a month to pick one bunch from each of the selected 
trees; and when picking, each bunch must be 
lowered to the ground by means of a rope, or the 
nuts picked separately Rnd dropge^ down ope by 
one carefully- 
When yon have the reqoirite number of ntita for 
the acreage you intend opening, prepare yoar nnt- 
series ; the soil should b« tamed over well ud barnt 
before levelling. Bet the nuts close to each other, 
and in a slanting position ; shade th«ffl from Ibe 
sun, and water dimng dry weather. The mti «rfll 
germinate within fonr montbii from date of potting 
down, and if at the end of five months there are aay 
which show no signs of growth, reiect them, for they 
will never make healthy trees. When the aeMUiags 
are from i to H inches high traneplaot tbeoa at 
intervals of Ik to 20 inches in another nursery, where 
they wonld have more sun ; ashes epphed lightly a/ter 
transplaDting will help the growtti of the pUats 
greatly. The plants when twelve months old will be 
big enough to put out into your cleermg, and satt- 
cicntly strong to withstand the attacks of white tats, 
one of the most formidable of enemies of the yonng 
coconut plant. On removing the plaoti from the 
nursery, carrving them by their branches most be 
strictly forbidden, as waat of care in this respect is 
very likely to result in injury to the "eeobage. ' M*y 
being a wet month is the best time of the year for 
planting. 
In getting your land ready do not stint mon«y 
on holing, the holes should be cut 3 feet squeM 
and H ft. deep and lined 26' x 26' ; burn as miieh 
wood and rubbish, as you can get in the boles, and 
fill in with surface soil till they are 18" deep when 
you should put down yoox plants, after trimming the 
roots carefully, and press the earth down firmly 
round the nut. In undulating land terracing is very 
desirable, while all ant-hilU should be levelled tu 
the ground and the earth from them applied to the 
adjacent coconut trees. There are 66 plaats to the 
acre, but in your nursery it will be as well to allow 
an average of 8U, so as to provide for supplying' 
vacancies caused by drought, white ants, beetles, 
lightning, &c. 
After planting give out your land on contract 
to native caltivators (goyiyasj for three years for 
the purpose of raising potatoes, cassava, &c. ; in re- 
turn for your granting them this privilege they must 
keep the coconut holes free from weeds and grass, 
and if they fail to do this they must submit to the 
forfeiture of one-half of the crops they raise The 
goyiya must also undertake to report the destruction 
of any plant so that the vacancy may be filled 
immsdiately after the first rains. No vacancies should 
be allowed to remain unsupplied, as a property is 
greatly lowered in value by tne presence of gaps. 
As I have said the ills a coconut property is heir 
to are drought, white ants, beetles and lightning. 
Of beetles the worst is the red kind (Sin. Kanda- 
panuwa). Any tree attacked by thiu fearful 
pest mnst at once be rooted out, chopped into 
pieces and burnt without allowing any of the 
insects to escape ; the rt medy here is very drastic 
but there is no other, and if the one I advise is 
not adopted the result will be the scattering 
broadcast of a perfect army of destroyers to ravage 
not only your own, but yonr neighbours' estates. I 
have myself made it a point to find out and bum 
trees attacked by Kandapanuwa anywhere within 
two miles of my property ; when a case is bronght 
to my notice I send my own coolies to the spot to cat 
down and burn the tree, and as compensation for 
saving my neighbour further loss I make him a present 
ot 30 cts. ! 
When a tree has been partially struck by lightnin>i, 
steps should at once be taken to bleed it and the 
surrounding trees by boring holes at their bases with 
an auger, by which means a large percentage can 
be saved. Any tree, however, that has been 
irretrievably struck by lightning should at onee 
be cut down and burnt to prevent the breeding of 
kandapanuwa within it. 
IhougJit.— I do not water any plants when they are 
once put out in the field; they should be planted 
during the May rains. I only water them when 
they are in the nursery and the plants are generally 
one year old where they are put out. 
Again, I lose very few plants by whiu ants • 
there are sometimes places where they destroy them 
often, and in such places I put in i yeura' ol4 
