8 
1 have to record the presence of a new scale insect on coconut palms in N’orth Mahe 
(Ischnaspis iiliformis). It looks just like a bit of blac % thread 2 millemetres long thickly 
covering the leaflets. This insect was also found on Liberian coffee and palm oil leaves during 
the year. Great care should be exei’cised in keeping it under control before it is too late. 
An attempt was made during the year to work out statistics showing the acreage under 
coconuts in Seychelles. 
The following are the figures which were obtained with no inconsiderable difficulty:— 
Area planted in acres Nuts harvested per annum. 
Mahe .. 10,926 . 8,178,222 
Other granitic Islands ... 10,273 ... ... ... ... 11,508,400 
Coral Islands ... ... 2,300 .. ... ... ... 4,401,600 
Total 23,589 . 24,082,222 
The yield per acre per annum amounts to :— 
Mahe . 748 
Other granitic Islands 1,120 
Coral Islands ... ...1,831 
Counting 80 trees to the acre the crop per trees would be the following, if the trees were 
all in bearing, viz :— 
Mahe ... ... ... 9-3 
Other granitic Islands ... 14’0 
Coral Islands ... ... 22'9 
But the above figures should be doubled as, on an average, only 50 o/o of the trees in a 
given plantation are in bearing; the balance being formed of young trees which are set out in 
order to supply vacancies at all times. This practice is adopted because trees over 20 years 
are likely to be killed out at any moment by the melitomma beetle. It reduces by half the 
yielding capacity of 1 acre of land in Seychelles. This consideration alone warrants the 
serious necessity of dealing without delay with tbe beetle disease. 
As compared [with other Colonies, the yield of nuts per tree is considerably below the 
average, except on some coral islands where tlie soil is rich in guano deposits. A crop in 
Ceylon is considered as being low when it is below 40 nuts per annum ; here in Mahe, it has 
fallen down to 9 nuts on an average. Of course the figures representing the yield of 80 trees 
are those of which are to be taken into consideration for purposes of comparison as nowhere in 
the East are young trees interplanted with trees in bearing to replace in time those that are 
killed out by disease. Diseases should be properly attended to and the plantations should 
show uniform growth. With regard to the area of uncultivated land in the whole Colony, 
figui’es caimot be properly given as yet as many islands are still unsurveyed but the area under 
coconuts in Mahe viz., 10,926 acres is less than ^rd of the whole area of the island, which mea¬ 
sures 34000 acres. Other plantations of vanilla, bananas, cassava, sugar cane &c., occupy 
at the most 2000 acres ; leaving a balance of 20000 acres. It is impossible also to give definite 
figures regarding the area of land suitable for coconuts owing to outcrops of rocks, but accord¬ 
ing to localities, the portion of unsuitable soil is very variable. I know estates where the 
whole area is planted out. I estimate the area about 1500 feet elevation as being 5000 acres 
and the area unsuited to coconuts and other crops below 1500 feet at 5000 acres. This 
shows that there are about 10000 acres of land in Mahe which remain to be put under cultiva¬ 
tion. On the other islands the cultivable area not yet taken in hand is still more important. 
CHAPTEE YIl. 
THE VANILLA INDUSTEY. 
The vanilla crop exported during 1916 amounted to 20^ tons. This is the best crop for 
the last 6 years. The flowering season on which will depend the crop for 1917 has also been 
good ; the months of August, September and October having been very dry. A crop of 25 tons 
is anticipated for 1917. In 1914 the crop was as low as 2^ tons. Much larger crops were for¬ 
merly obtained in the Colony. Four reasons may be urged to account for the present reduced 
crops. ‘ ' 
A. The drought which prevailed in the Colony from 1904 to 1912 reduced considerably 
the acreage imder vanilla. 
B. The better prices obtained for copra also caused an abandonment of large acreages 
formerly under vanilla. The orchid was formerly interplanted very often with the palms and many "' 
plantations of the latter have been clean weeded or cleared of vanilla. 
C. The diseases which remain dormant during periods of drought have become virulent 
since the advent of the rainy period. This disease is due to a fungus and it was ascertained , 
this year, from the authorities at Kew, that it is the same fiuigus as the one described by 
Massee in 1892, as occurring in Seychelles plantations, and no other. (Calospora vanillae). 
D. The soil having been repeatedly occupied by vanilla, for at least 50 years, the orchid, ^ 
like all bther plants, does not grow as easily as formerly. ’ - 
There are very few planters who take up the manming of their vanilleries and the rege¬ 
neration of their plantations by sewing seeds of vanilla and growing and propagating the seed¬ 
lings in special nurseries. These are however measures which have become imperative, because 
all the vanilla in the Colony is derived from cuttings introduced 60 years ago, without Any ^ 
