6 
The yield of nuts per plot was carefully ascertained during the year in orier to tahe into 
account the natural yield of each plot. The manures were received late in the year and they 
were applied in December, ISText year’s yield will have also to be counted as the natural yield 
as it "s well known that the influence of manures cannot show itself before a period of at least 
2 yenrs after their application. This is due to embryo leaves being formed much in advance 
in the growing shoots long before they are developed externally and the influence of manures 
is exercised on the embryo leaves before they are formed and not on those already formed. It 
is calcu r.ted that embiyo leaves take 2 years and 9 months to reach maturity, together with 
the subtended clusters of nuts. 
The probable increase or decrease due to manuring is the increase or decrease of the ma¬ 
nured plots. which is added or deducted the decrease or increase shown by the average of 
the - uit'rol p'ots. Wlien the soil is not homogenous, all the control plots will, under natural 
coimbtio: ", show a -variable increase or decrease each year and therefore a much longer period 
is nc-'essary to arrive at a correct average. The term decrease of the crop of a manured plot 
evich 'Dy that the cost of the manure and its application is greater than the increased 
yield obtained. In Seychelles the market value of nuts is the same for large or small nuts; 
for tins reason there is not the same incentive to the careful selection of nuts for planting 
which there would be if, as in other countries, larger nuts fetched a higher price than small 
ones. 
THE NATHEAL YIELD OF PLOTS FOE 1916. 
, of plot. 
No. of trees per plot. 
Total number of nuts harvested Nuts per tree 
by plucking. per annum. 
1 
12 
333 
28 
2 
17 
350 
30 
3 
20 
507 
25 
4 
14 
349 
29 
5 
12 
334 
28 
6 
16 
339 
21 
7 
11 
253 
23 
8 
17 
291 
17 
9 
17 
218 
13 
10 
10 
103 
10 
11 
16 
220 
14 
12 
21 
176 
8 
13 
13 
137 
10 
A glance 
at the above table will show what great variation exists 
in the natural yield of 
the p] -ts and how difficult it is, for example, to establish a comparison in the yield between 
plots 1 and 12. Such wide variation in the yield explains in a few words that we shall have 
to compare terms which are hardly comparable and in order to make them comparable, average 
results will have to be deduced only after a long series of years. Much quicker results would 
have been obtained in a better selected spot but Government had no choice, no planter having • 
consented to carry out the experiments on his estate. 
Nuts exported in nature 
converted into copra 
oil 
soap 
consumed locally 
^9 
CHAPTEE VI. 
The Coconut Industry. 
Crop for 1916. 
92,959 
18,573,844 
575,179 
437,983 
4,000,000 
Total 23,679,935 
Crop for 1915. 
200,673 
20,439,356 
674,568 
445,445 
4,000,000 
25,759,942 
The above figures do not give a correct idea of the total amount of the crop for 1916. 
There were only 4 opportunities of exporting copra during the year and the necessity of keep¬ 
ing the copra, for over 6 months in some cases, caused a deterioration of the article and gene¬ 
rally a loss of weight which can be reckoned at 5 to 10 o/o. The damaged copra was tuimed 
into oil in some cases and the reduction of 10 o/o affects, for this reason, not only the copra 
production but also the oil and soap industries. It is calculated that the reduction in the 
crop is represented by 2 million nuts without taking into account the copra which was held 
over from November 1916 until the time of writing (February 1917). Owing to the war the 
Messageries Steamers calling at Mahe were requisitioned for the transport of troops. For 
about 10 months of the year the copra had to be stored until cargo steamers could be chartered 
from elsewhere. On the other hand better prices (Es 530 a ton) were obtained on the market 
and this will partly make up for the deficiency. 
