EFFECT OF LIGHTNING ON COCONUT PALMS. 
41 
question whether the trees which recover after the treatment 
described would not have recovered without treatment of 
any kind. 
No explanation of this “ fermentation effect ” can at 
present be offered, and the facts have been placed on record 
here in the hope that the subject will be taken up by others 
more favourably situated for detailed investigation. It may, 
however, be pointed out that the same effect may be produced 
on a small scale by making a fire near the base of a coconut 
palm, but not near enough to char the stem. The red-brown 
patches subsequently appear on the parts which have been 
heated. A number of red-brown spots and streaks at the base 
of the tree, usually on one side only, indicates that it has been 
injured by fire. This appearance is very common, more so 
in native gardens or on trees near a native hut than on estates . 
If a fire is made quite close to the base of a coconut palm, the 
outer stem tissues are, of course, burnt and charred ; but when 
it is too far away to admit of this, the stem is hearted, especially 
if the wind blows the flames in that direction, and it afterwards 
exudes a red-brown liquid from dozens of the pre-existing 
cracks. It is notable that in some cases, not, however, uni- 
versally, when the lower part of the stem is severely charred, 
the parts imniediately above this do not bleed ; on the other 
hand, if the stem shows no blackening whatever, it bleeds 
vigorously. Probably in the flrst case the supply of sap to 
the upper parts of the cortex is cut off altogether. 
I have seen an area of several acres affected in this way, 
where the grass had evidently been burnt off a long time 
before. All the trees were marked with red-brown spots to a 
height of about 3 feet on one side only. Apparently a 
quickly advancing fire had not been strong enough to char 
the stems, or to heat them sufficiently on the leev/ard side io 
cause them to bleed. 
A good example of this was furnished by a group of old 
coconut palms over sixty years old on the Experiment Station, 
Gangaruwa. The plot being more or less waste ground, it was 
used for storing the thinnings of the cacao plots in 1907, and 
these were set on fire in February, 1908, without any regard 
for the coconut palms. When examined in April, 1908, the 
6(6)15 (6) 
