EXPEKIMENTS WITH COCONUT PALMS 
21 
The inconsistencies presented by the production record were such 
as to warrant no conclusions in regard to the favorable effect of any 
particular treatment. 
The tests with the oldest palms, conducted on a larger scale than 
with the younger trees, presented much the same contradictions in 
regard to effects of nitrogen, phosphoric acid, and potash on produc- 
tion. Pronounced inequalities in productivity were shown which 
were geographical, since they were related to the location of the 
palms in the field and unrelated to the fertilizer treatment. 
No correlation between nut size and fertilization was shown to 
exist. Average diameters of nuts from each of seven plats receiving 
6 I 1 1 1 1 1 1 
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Plat No. I Pia+ No.Z P/at /Vo.3 Ptat No^ Plot No.5 PlatNo.6 P/of No.7 
Figure 14. — Minimum, average, and maximum nut diameters of lots of 100 nuts, 
first to twentieth harvest, inclusive, Boquillas plantation 
different fertilizer treatments differed by 1 per cent and less, as 
was shown by the measurements of 14,000 nuts. 
Salt (NaCl) was applied to palms in each of the three groups. 
In the youngest palms the salted plat produced particularly well and 
contained a larger number of highly productive palms than did any 
other plat. Also the early results of salting on a larger scale were 
promising, but the trees were destroyed by hurricane before yielding 
conclusive evidence. In palms of intermediate age, the application 
of salt in conjunction with nitrogen and phosphoric acid resulted 
in no apparent benefit. Following the termination of the experi- 
