340 
The territory is situated outside the hurricane zone, has an agree- 
able chmate, and a plentiful rainfall (except in the dry belt of the Central 
. i vision). Thus the planter has every advantage which Nature can 
bestow to render his enterprise successful. 
The soil is considered equal in richness to any in the world and 
our correspondent’s experience leads him to express it as his opinion 
that, in the course of a few years, when Australia has realised what a 
valuable asset she possesses right at her very doors, Papua will have 
become the most prolific and richest exporter of tropical products out- 
side of Ceylon. Labour is plentiful and cheap, and land easily obtain- 
able on the most liberal terms. 
A good deal has been written on the subject of coconut-planting 
durmg tne last few years, mostly by people in India, but comparatively 
little has been said by those conversant with the conditions obtaining 
in the South Sea Islands and British New Guinea to help intending 
planters who may be thinking of taking up land in Papua. 
With regard to choice of land for cultivation, if no island is available, 
and land is taken up on the mainland, it should be as flat as possible 
it a river or two run through the property, so much the better. They 
will help to irrigate the land, and cocoanuts require a great deal of 
water (running, not stagnant) : if they are any swamps they must be 
thoroughly drained before any planting is attempted. 
After land has been taken up, the next step is to obtain labour to 
cultivate it. Boys ” may be bad from the local recruiting vessels at 
from £1 15s. to £9 1 per head (for one-year boys). These figures refer 
to New Guinea. In the Solomon Islands the rate is from £4 to £6 per 
head for three-year boys. The food of these labourers consist of rice, 
sweet potatoes, with meat twice a week. They also get a tobacco 
allowance of, say, two sticks per week. Their only requirement in the 
matter ol clothing is one Lava-lava every three months, and one blanket 
per boy per annum. 
There are many ways of clearing land, but the following method 
has been found the best. After the forest has been cut down, lop off 
all the branches of trees and then run a fire through. After this, stack 
all unburnt timber around stumps and big logs, and fire once again. 
Do this twice so as to leave as little dead timber as possible on the 
plantation. The timber, if left to rot, will in time manure the ground 
but this method entails the harbourage of an immense number of grubs 
and beetles, and these insect, breeding rapidly, leave the old logs and 
take up their residence in the young sweet coconuts, causing untold 
damage. By firing the ground throughly, these insect pests are kept 
within bounds. 
Nurseries. 
If there are no plantation near where seed nuts may he obtained, 
gieat caie must be taken in the selection of nuts for planting. It is 
better to depend on the natives for them, and to go personally and buy 
them, inspecting the coconut-trees, and picking the nuts therefrom 
taking particular care that the tree is not too old or too tall, but a young’ 
vigorous, solid, and stout tree; also seeing that the nuts it bears are 
plentiful in number, and of a good shape. They should not he long 
and narrow, but round, with little husk and plenty of milk. Open them 
