508 
Supplement  to  the  Tropical  AgricultimstT 
[Jan.  1,  1897. 
II.  — Madras. 
In  the  Madras  presidency  the  palm  is  stated 
to  frequent  the  banks  of  estuaries  and  back 
waters,  abounding  on  the  sandy  tracts  near  the 
sea,  especially  along  the  Malabar  and  Coromandel 
coasts.  In  South  Canara  it  is  estimated  that 
there  are  80,000  acres  under  coconuts.  “ The 
Malabar  coast  and  the  Laccadive  and  Maidive 
Islands  are  pre-eminently  the  seats  of  the  coconut 
industry.  The  enquirer  after  Indian  coconuts, 
coir  or  oil,  need  practically  concern  himself  with 
no  other  part  of  the  country  unless  he  add  to  these 
the  Nicobar  I.^lands.”  The  Nicobars  are  said  to 
produce  a large  number  of  nuts,  but,  apparently, 
the  Islanders  are  ignorant  of,  or  too  indifferent 
to  learn,  the  art  of  making  coir  and  expressing 
oil,  while  the  same  is  said  of  the  Maldives. 
The  imports  from  the  Maladives  in  1888  were 
7,897,453  nuts  to  India,  and  fromthe  Nicobar  Islands 
4,510,000  nuts.  The  imports  from  the  Laccadives 
(which  are  mainly  under  the  administration  of 
the  collector  of  Malabar)  are  treated  as  if  they 
•were  produce  of  the  mainland  and  are  not  given 
in  the  trade  returns.  The  inhabitants  of  these 
groups  of  Islands  are  not  reported  to  manufacture 
coir  and  apparently  prepare  a small  quantity 
of  copra,  although  they  sell  their  nuts  at  a price 
below  that  which  prevails  on  the  Mainland  of 
India.  The  following  reference  to  the  system 
of  coconut  cultivation  in  Madras  occurs  in 
Morris’s  Descriptive  and  Historical  account  of 
the  Godavery  district : young  plants  of  a year’s 
growth  are  planted  out  and  watered  for  si.x  years, 
after  which  they  do  not  require  much  water. 
The  trees  generally  bear  fruit  about  the  ninth 
year  after  transplantation.  The  expenses  of 
cultivation  are  stated  to  be  R668  for  a putti  of 
land  namely  11140  being  the  price  of  GOO 
young  plants,  R48  being  the  value  of  the  labour 
required  for  planting  them,  and  R480  being  the 
wages  of  labourers  employed  to  water  and  tend 
the  trees  untill  they  come  into  bearing.  When 
the  trees  begin  to  bear  fruit  the  value  of  the 
produce  of  a tree,  exclusive  of  the  fibre  is 
estimated  at  about  12  annas  a year,  making  a 
total  value  of  the  produce  in  a,  putti  of  land  11300. 
III. — Mysore. 
In  Mysore  there  are  four  varieties  of  the 
coconut,  (1),  red  (2)  red  mixed  with  green,  (3) 
light  green,  (4)  dark  green.  These  varieties  are 
permanent,  but  although  the  red  is  reckoned 
somewhat  better  than  the  others,  they  are 
commonly  sold  promiscuously,  and  their  produce 
is  nearly  the  same.  The  soil  does  not  answer  in 
the  Bangalore  ditrict  unless  water  can  be  had  on 
digging  in  to  it  to  the  depth  of  3 or  4 cubits  and 
in'such  situations  a light  sandy  soil  is  best.  The 
black  clay  (called  ere)  is  the  next  best,  and  the 
worst  is  the  red  clay  (called  kebbe)  ■,  though  with 
proper  cultivation  all  the  three  varieties  of  soil 
answer  well. 
The  manner  of  forming  a new  coconut  garden 
is  as  follows : — The  nuts  intended  for  seed  must 
be  allowed  to  ripen  until  they  full  from  the  tree, 
and  must  be  then  dried  in  the  open  air  for  a month 
without  having  the  husk  removed.  A plot  for  a 
nursery  is  then  dug  to  the  depth  of  2 feet,  the 
soil  is  allowed  to  dry  3 days.  In  March  one  foot  of 
earth  removed  from  the  nursery  and  the  surface 
of  the  plot  covered  with  8 inches  of  .sand  Upon 
this  the  nuts  are  jdaced  close  to  each  other,  with 
the  end  containing  the  eye  uppermost.  They  are 
then  recovered  with  3 in.  of  sand  and  2 in.  of  earth. 
If  the  supply  of  water  be  from  a well,  the  plot 
must  be  watered  once  a day  ; but  if  a more  copious 
suj)ply  can  be  had  from  a reservoir  one  watering 
in  3 days  is  sufficient.  In  3 months  the  seedlings 
are  fit  to  be  transplanted,  and  by  this  time  the 
garden  must  have  been  hoed  to  the  depth  of  2 
feet.  Holes  are  then  dug  for  the  reception  of  the 
seedlings  at  20  feet  distance  from  each  other  in 
all  directions,  for  when  planted  nearer  they  do 
not  thive.  The  holes  are  2 ft.  deep  and  a cubit 
•wide.  At  the  bottom  is  put  sand  7 inches  deep, 
and  on  this  is  placed  the  nut  with  the  young 
tree  adhering  to  it.  Sand  is  now  put  until  it 
rises  2 inches  above  nut,  and  then  the  hole  is 
filled  -with  earth  and  a little  dung.  Eyery  day 
for  3 years,  except  when  it  rains,  the  young  tree 
must  have  water.  The  palm  begins  to  produce 
when  7 or  8 years  old.  young  trees  produce 
more  fruit  which  comes  forward  in  every 
season  of  the  year.  A good  tree  gives  annuallv 
100  nuts. 
Coconuts  are  planted  in  Chicknayakanhalli  in 
rows  round  the  araca-nut  gardens,  and  also 
separately  in  spots  that  would  not  answer  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  latter.  Tlie  situation  for 
these  gardens  must  be  taken  rather  low,  but  it  is 
not  necessary  that  it  should  be  under  a reservoir: 
any  place  will  answer  where  water  can  be  had  by 
to  the  depth  of  two  men’s  stature.  The 
soil  w hich  is  reckoned  most  favourable  is  a red 
clay  mixed  with  mud.  It  must  be  free  from  lime 
and  salime  substances.  Other  soils  are  used  but 
black  w'onld  is  reckoned  very  bad.  The  nuts  in- 
tended for  seed  are  picked  in  the  second  month  after 
tlie  winter  solstice.  A square  pit  is  then  dug  which 
is  sufficiently  large  to  hold  them,  and  is  about 
a cubit  in  depth.  In  this  fifteen  days  after  being 
picked  are  placed  the  seed  nuts,  with  the  eyes 
iqipermost,  and  contiguous  to  each  other,  and  the 
earth  is  throwm  in  so  as  just  to  cover  them,  and 
on  the  top  is  spiead  a little  dung. 
In  this  bed,  every  second  day  for  six  months 
the  seed  must  be  watered  with  a pot,  and  then 
the  young  palms  are  fit  for  being  transplanted. 
Whenever  during  the  two  months  following  the 
A'ernal  Equinox,  an  occasional  show'er  gives  on 
opportunity  by  softening  the  soil,  the  garden  must 
be  ploughed  five  times.  During  tlie  next  month  it 
is  allowed  to  rest.  In  the  month  following  the 
summer  solstice  the  ground  must  again  beplouglud 
twice,  and  next  month,  at  a distance  of  48  cubi’s 
in  every  direction,  there  must  be  dug  pits  a cubit 
wide  and  as  much  deep.  In  the  bottom  (f 
each  in  little  dung  is  put  and  the  young  plains, 
having  been  previously  well  watered  to  loosen  tlie* 
soil,  are  taken  up  and  placed  one  in  each  pit.  T1  e 
shell  still  adheres  to  the  young  palm,  and  the  pit 
must  be  filled  with  earth  so  far  as  to  cover  the 
nut.  Over  this  is  put  a little  dung.  For  3 
months  the  young  plants  must  be  watered  every 
other  day;  afterwards  every  fourth  day,  uiitU 
they  are  4 years  old  e.xcept  when  there  ‘i.s  rain. 
Afterwards  they  require  no  water. 
(To  be  continued.) 
