April 1, 1903,] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
107 
■ — ^ — . 
I'o the Editor. 
COCONUT PLANTING IN FIJI. 
ENORMOUS FRUITING ON OUR PALMS, 
Tavinni, Fiji, Feb. 5. 
Dear Sir, — Just a line to describe a \>eiy peculiar 
freak I iiave just seen. A young e^onut tree, 
5 years old just ' coininf? into beaAig : It lias 
three spathes or blossoms and on tlie la'gest of the 
tree I counted 30 sptars to the spatlies and on 
one of the spears 1 counted 51 nuts, making 
a total of about 1,500, on the one spathi^ 
There are about 1,000 each on the other two so 
tliab at tlie present time there are about 3,400 nuts 
on the tree. There are two more tremendous spathes 
that will be blossoming in a few days when we ex- 
pect to see over 5,000 nuts on the tree — nearly a 
ton of copra. Now can you Ceylon chaps beat 
that? When you can let me know, will you? 
I can assure you it is a jjositive fact I have often 
seen from 1,000 to 1,200 nuts on a tree, but this 
caps all. 
We are liaving a magnificent year — better, in fact 
than last, I think. I am trying to get iiold of some 
averages this year and will let you know result 
bye-and-bye. The whole country is looking very 
well — Yours faithfully, H. V. TAKTE. 
[A practical coconut planter's remarks on the 
above are : — 
'• The degree of ' prolificness ' of the coconut palm 
varies greatly and although an average of 60 
nuts per tree per annum in Ceylon is considered a 
good yield ; yet there are individual trees which 
bear 400 to 500 nuts a year. However, I have 
never seen or heard before of such a phenomenon 
as a coconut spathe with 3,000 to 1,500 fruit on it. 
I doubt whether such a huge cluster of nuts would 
reach maturity, as the stalk is sure to break down 
withtiiei'' weight before the nuts are even half ripe. 
Trees of vigorous growth send forth a spathe once 
a month. The wonderful 5-year old tree, your Fiji 
coirespondent refers to, has already produced 5 
spathes, all of abnormal size, and we may expect 
at least 3 more before the oldest nuts are ripe 
enough to be gathered. 
" The tree should then carry over 9,000 nuts, 
beside about 3 dozen fronds, but would the stem 
support such a ponderous load ? Mr Tarfce should 
have the tree photographed at once, so as to show 
the several clusters of young nuts of different 
stages. It would be interesciiig to know the length 
and girth of oneof these extraordinary spathes. Mi 
Tarte says he has often seen 1,000 to 1,200 nuts 
on a tree. It will be of much interest if lie will 
ffive the average yield of, say, 1.000 trees in full 
bearing on his plantation." — Ed. T.A.] 
INFORMATION ON THE CASTOR OIL TREE 
WANTED. 
15atticaloa, March 14tli. 
Dkar Sir, — Can you or any of your readers be 
so kind enough as to let me know, through the 
medium of your valuable paper, if there is ar.y 
book in which the cultivation of Castor, is dealt 
with ? If there is any, I shall be much obliged, 
if I will be informed by you or any of your 
numerous readers, where such a book could be 
procured. As au e.xperiinent is to be tried in the 
89 
cultivation of Castor in the Island, I shall deem ifc 
a favour if you or any of your readers could furnish 
me with the following particulars ; — 
()). Nature of soil required for the cultivation 
of castor. 
(2) . How castor is planted ? How many feet 
apart from each other ? 
(3) . In how many months niM castor bear fruit! 
(4) . How many years after, will the planta 
yield ? 
(5) . What will be the yield for a year, per acre ? 
(0). How arc the crops collected ? 
(7) . What should be the temperature of thfl 
place ? 
(8) . What is the average price of a bushel of 
castor in England, and in Ceylon ? 
Yours faithfully, SUPPRA. 
[We take the following from the " Treasury of 
Botany," as the fullest information we can find; — 
Castor Oil Plant is botanically known as ricinus 
communis, the seeds yielding castor-oil. The plant is a 
native of India, but is now widely distributed over the 
warmer regions of the globe and throughout the 
Mediterranean region. It is even cultivated in England 
as an annual and is known under the name of Palma 
Christi.In ibe English climate the stems do not attain 
a height of more than from three to tive feet ; in India 
however, they grow from eight to ten feet, while in 
Spain, Crete, Sicily, and elsewhere the plant is stated 
to become a small tree. The stem is jointed of a 
pnrplish-red colour, and covered with a glaucous bloom 
like that of a plum. The leaves are large stalked palmate 
deeply divided into seven lanoe-shaped segments and 
at the jnnctiou of the blade with the stalk of the leaf 
is a small saucer-like gland. The flowers are in spikes, 
the males being placed below, the females above. There 
are several varieties of this plant, differing in sundry 
slight particulars and amongst others in the size of 
the seeds. These latter are oval flattened of a greyish 
colouv mottled wilh brownish blotches. At the tipper 
end cf the seed is a small sponge-like excrescence. It is 
stated that the best oil for medicinal puiposea ia 
derived fiom the small seeds that piocuied from the 
large seeds is coarser and in India employed for 
lamps and in veterinary practice. A still prevalent error 
is that the acrid purgative principle resides in the 
seed-coats and in 'he embryo only while the albumen 
is destitute of it. The oil is extracted by boiling the 
seeds and by pressure in an hydraulic press the latter 
process yields the most esteemed oil. After expression 
the oil is purified by being allowed to stand, by decan- 
tation, andby filtratioD. In India the oil after having 
been obtained by pressure is mixed with a certain 
proportion of water and boiled till the water has 
evaporated. In France the oil is obtainedby macerating 
the bruised seeds in alcohol but the process is expen- 
sive, and the product inferior. The larger quantity of 
the oil used in this country is imported from India, 
Castor-oil is very largely used as a gentle and eflicient 
purgative; its nauseous taste ia however, a great objec- 
tion to its use. This may partially be overcome by 
mixing it with orf cge-wiue, gin, or peppermint-water, 
or by making it into an emulsion with the yolk of an 
egg or muci:;'ge. The leaves are used for various pnr» 
poses, for which their fize and coolness render them 
serviceable, ond topically as an apphcation in rheuma. 
tism,— Ed. T.A.I 
CEYLON GROWN HURBKR IN LONDON. 
Loudoii, Feb. 27. 
De.vr Sir,— We wrote you rc Ceylon grown 
Para Rubber a few weeks ago and now have to 
