COCONUTS IN THE COCOS-KEELING ISLANDS. 
“In some respects the methods of cultivation of the palm 
adopted by Mr. Ross do not coincide with general practice, and a 
few facts respecting the points in which Mr. ROSS'S experience 
has induced him to depart from the common custom, may be of 
interest. 
“Seed nuts' are taken from any palm of the Sea Island species 
without regard to its age. Eighty trees are planted to the acre, 
care being taken to avoid regularity in “lining”. The reason for 
this is that the wind does less damage when the trees are not in 
rows. Another very wise precaution to prevent the palms being 
uprooted by the wind is to plant the seed nuts at the bottom of 
holes 3 feet deep. The holes so dug are not filled up by hand 
seeing that the light sandy soil fills up the holes in the course of 
time. The roots of palms planted in this manner arc natural!}' 
deeper and better covered than those of trees grown from seed 
embedded in the usual manner, immediately below the surface. 
“ It is stated by Mr. ROSS that a series of experiments has 
proved to him that nuts which are allowed to fall contain an 
average of io to 12 per cent, more copra than an equal number of 
carefully picked nuts. 
“ Though at times the islands have suffered to some extent from 
the ravages of Coconut beetle, yet men are never employed to cap- 
ture and kill these pests. The trees which show signs of harbour- 
ing beetles are cut down and burnt.” 
A. S. BAXENDALE. 
Colonial Reports, No. 402. 
RHINOCEROS BEETLES IN SOIL. 
The annexed letters from Mr. Dell of Teluk Anson, Perak, 
give an account of a great outbreak of the rhinoceros beetle 
Oryclcs rhinoceros in Perak and the means taken to destroy the 
insects. The interesting thing about this is that the larvas seem 
to have been living in ordinary soil. I have found the grubs abun- 
dant in decaying sawdust, cowdung and rotten leaves and wood, 
but have never known previously of its occurring in ordinary soil 
w hich, as a rule, does not contain enough nutriment for it. The 
soil must have been very rich in decaying vegetable matter. The 
plan of flooding the ground seems to have answered most satisfac- 
torily. It would probably be also advisable, if possible, to let the 
grass and low herbage grow over the groun"d after this has been 
done, as I observed on a previous occasion in a tannery in Singa- 
pore, where a vast quantity of rotten tan bark had accumulated 
and was of full beetles and grubs when on the abandonment of the 
ground the soil was covered with low scrub the beetles and grubs 
‘quite disappeared. After a year or so when the insects had gone 
the scrub could be cut down again if necessary. 
