66 JOURNAL, BOMBAY NATURAL HISTORY SOCIETY, Vol VIII. 
watered for a few weeks till they become firmly established. After this the 
young trees are left entirely to themselves, and are neither watered nor manured ; 
they come into bearing in Kiltan in from 8 to 10 years, and produce fruit so 
vigorously and plentifully that it is sometimes necessary to support the luxuriant 
growth of nuts artificially *; in this island, moreover, the preliminary attention 
to seedlings is not required. 
In some of the other islands, as in Chitlac, where the soil is much poorer, the 
trees do not come into bearing tid they are 15 to 20 years old, each tree at best 
producing only about 50 nuts per annum as against 80 to 85 nuts a year in 
Kiltan. In Kadamum, too, backward though the cultivation in that island is, 
the average per annum is about 80 nuts per tree ; in Ameni, where the 
cultivation is almost as extensive as in Kiltan, the average is only about 60 
nuts a year from each tree. These figm’es are given by Kobinson, after care¬ 
ful and prolonged enquiry, as representing the yield in 1844 and 1845 ; Hume 
gives the average aU over for the fom’ British islands in 1875 at 80 nuts per 
tree per amium \—doubtless rather a high general estimate, though probably 
representing the yield of what the people in any ef the islands would themselves 
consider a good tree. Kobinson thinks that 60 to 70 nuts would be a pretty 
fan’ general average for the whole of these islands, and this is likely to be nearer 
the truth than the higher estimate. The islanders try to plant only first class 
trees, and they aun at obtaining such as will come into full bearing in about 
10 years, throwing out every month after that age is reached a fruiting-spike 
bearing 15 to 20 nuts, and so yielding 180 to 250 nuts a year, and going on 
bearing at tliis rate till they are 60 years old. They often do go on bearing, it 
is said, till they are 70 or 80 years of age, and some are beheved by the people 
to be more than a centm-y old. But a tree that produces a fruiting-spike every 
month is quite a rarity ; 9 to 10 fruiting branches are aU that can be hoped for 
in twelve months, and from accidents and casualties among the nuts, 8 to 10 
a spike is a very high average of nuts. Indeed, it is only trees with an eastern 
exposure and trees growing in the Teat in the centre of the islands that yielJ 
so highly ; those with a south-westerly exposm’e or those on the drier parts of 
the best islands yield as poorly as those of Chitlac, where the conditions, as a 
whole, are unfavomable. 
There is very httle exportation of coco-nuts from the islands, much the 
greater portion of the crop being required for home consumption. As, more¬ 
over, the great product of the islands is con, not coco-nuts, an immense propor¬ 
tion of the crop is gathered before the nuts are perfectly ripe and before the 
kernel is in the best condition for yielding oil. If allowed to remain on the 
* Robinson, Madras Journal, n. s, xiv, 24. 
t “ Stray Feathers,” iv, 410. 
366 
