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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. (March 1, 1902. 
« 
To the Editor. 
THE CULTIVATION AND MANURING OF 
COCONUTS. 
^ Feb. nth. 
Dear Sir, — In your issue of the 7th instant 
your Veyangoda correspondent s;ives the price of 
CiDconuts realised at Yakkala estate, Henaratpnda, 
the property of Dr. Dias, the retired Cijlonial 
Surgeon. Further information regardin;? this 
estate will, I think, surprise all interested in 
coconuts and show to what extent the intelligent 
cultivation of this palm can increase its yield. 
The situation of Yakkala estate, I need not say, 
is by no means the best district for coconuts, 
and yet its present yield compares most favour- 
ably with the best in the land. In 1896 the 
Doctor took up his residence on the estate and 
for the first twelve months picked less than 
70,000 nuts; previous to this the property was on 
lease to natives, and within five years he lias 
increased the yield to nigh 300,000 nuts, picked 
from it in 1901, and this from only four to five 
thousand trees in bearing or over 60 to 70 nuts 
per tree. Mr. W 11 Lament (who is I am glad 
to think still amongst us) will, no doubt, be 
pleased to hear that his words uttered over 30 years 
ago has been proven, that "no product in 
Ceylon responds to, or repays so well for manuring 
as the coconut; palm." With this I send you a 
stalk I took off a coconut tree from this estate, 
ef which the spathe had opened and flowers on 
the stalks set. You will note the thickness of 
this stalk and the 11 young nuts on it. This 
bunch had 36 stalks with two to 11 nuts on 
each, and there are several such on the tree 
with nuts similar to this, and I was informed 
that over 50 trees on the estate are for the first 
time showing bunches like this, thus promising 
enormous increase of yield to be gathered during the 
current year, which the proprietor estimates itrom 
four to five hundred thousand. Here then is a 
nice little sum to work out. Wliat will a 100 
acres of coconuts, say with 70 trees to the acre 
and only 12 spathes per tree per annum (some 
give sixteen) opening out with .36 stalks and 
two to 11 nuts on each stalk, of which say 
only four nuts arrive at maturity (and there are 
already trees with that number of matured nuts) 
eive per acre? I don't wish to put down the 
answer on paper for fear the results of its publi- 
cation may start some blight on the coconut 
palm. I send you, for the purpose of being better 
able to follow what I have said, a bunch taken 
from a native garden on which you will see 
. there are 41 stalks and only 18 of these with 
one nut on each as you find on ordinary trees. 
Compare the size of the stalks on this with that 
on which there are 11 nuts. The proprietor is mi 
opinioa that salt especially, mixed with other ferti- 
lisers, is the great desideratum and he uses the ordi- 
nary culinary salt to the extent of 2 lb. to each tree 
in spite of its cost, and he is very worth with 
the Government for not making it more readily 
available for purposes of agriculture and cultiva- 
on of coconuts in particular. The proprietor says 
that he is not yet in a position to speak with 
certainty as to what is the best fertilising mixture 
for coconuts, but hopes to be able to do so two 
years hence.— Yours faithfully, 
COCONUT PLANTER, 
No. n. 
Feb. 8th. 
Sir, — In the history of the coconut industry 
have the prices ever reached those ruling at the 
present time ? What is the reason for the present 
prices? Is it that the demand, by leaps and 
bounds, outstrip))ed the supply, in spite of the 
large areas annually coming into bearing in Ceylon 
and in the Straits, and I suppose in other coconut- 
producing countries as well? These are a few 
questions that arise in the minds of coconut 
planters, and I suppose in the minds of others as 
well. I have heard it suggested that the war in 
the Philippines is tlie chief cause of the rise 
in the coconut market. I shall feel obliged by 
your publishing a table .'5howing the areas txnder 
coconut cultivation in different parts of the world, 
with the produce of the trees and the value of 
the exports. This seems to be a tall order, but 
tor one with an encyclop.'e lie knowledge .such aa 
you possess, it will not be so. 
Whatever the cause, the fact remains that prices 
are in the ascendant, much to the benefit of those 
interested in coconut cultivation. The ruling 
price of copra at this time last year was R47. 
I see it announced in the papers that a parcel 
of copra fetched K66. That m?ans R19 above the 
market price at this time last year. Of course 
tliere is a corresponding rise in the price of 
nuts. 
With the price now ruling for coconuts, coco- 
nut estates in the market ought to command 
encouraging prices. I see a litt'e correspondence 
in the papers about the price the well-known 
Kirimetiana estate ought to fetch. As a rule, 
those wishing to buy a property at an auction 
sale do not publish to the world the price they 
are prepared to pay ^'or it. 
With regard to your footnote to the first letter 
of " H. L. D.", R900 per acre is no record price 
for coconut land in full bearing, which has been 
confounded with " planted land," the words you 
used. The average price for good land, in full 
bearing in this District, is R1,000. I have known 
of land in this neighbourhood selling at Rl,250 
an acre. For the purposes of a loan, full- bearing 
coconuts were once valued at the moderate figure 
of R750 the acre. A European broker in Colombo, 
who was to make the loan, was dissatisfied with 
this, and thought it an inflationist valuation, and 
sent a well-known Colombo V. A., to value the 
property. He valued it at a higher figure than 
the local man ! 
Ten years' purchase for good, bearing land is 
a safe average valuation. Exceptionally good 
land might be valued at 12 to 15 years' purchase. 
But 30 years' purchase is an unheard of 
valuation, with the published figares, it is utterly 
impossible to fairly value Kirimetiana. Much 
more light is wanted. 
The price of lands in this District is a splendid 
advertisement for a Railway. As can be readily 
understood, with trees bearing so well, and lands 
yielding such splendid results, affluence is the rule, 
want and poverty the exception. Money is available 
for travelling. The more easy and comfortable 
travelling is made, the more will the people 
travel. Those not blessed with much property, 
have remunerative employment aflforded them at 
the two Desiccating Mills. So I see, money ia 
abundant with all classes here. Nobody need 
want. 
MARAWILA. 
