The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-10
HOW COCOANUTS GROW.
THEY ARE PLANTED IN HOLES AND
BEAR IN FIVE YEARS.

a Tree That Requires but Little Care
and Which Lives and Produces Fruit
for More Than Fifty Years-PecuIiari.
ties OF the Fruit and Its Culture.
Although the true and original home oil
! the cocoanut is India and the South Sea
| islands, it has become so widely diffused
| by the hands of man and the waves of the
/ ocean that it is now prominent feature
in almost every tropical portion of the
globe, covering between 3, O00, 900 and 4, Co.,
600 acres with its beautiful palms, and
numbering go 600 trees, yielding an
nually 10, 0OO, 600, 600 of cocoanuts.
A recent approximate estimate Of the
area cultivated with the cocoanut palm
gave the following result: British India
and dependencies, 800, 600; Central Ameri-
ca, 250, coo; Ceylon, so, 600; Eastern Archi-
pelago and colonies, $50, 600; Java and Su-
matra, 10000; Mauritius, Madagascar,
Seychelles and African coast, 100, 900; Pa
cific islands, including Fiji, New Caledonia
etc, $4,000; Siam and Cochin China, l00,-
600, and West Indies. s., 600
And when Florida shall add her 10. 0n0
acres lying south of the tweuty-seventh
parallel of north latitude, capable of grow
ing 1000, 600 trees, we may see at no dis
tant day the North America cocoanut de-
handing 10 mean share of commercial at
teEtlon.
coCOANUTs IN FLORIDA.
For many years cocoanuts have grown on
the coast Of southern Florida, but owing TO
an extreme fcudness for the green nuts
manifested by those engaged in the sponge
fishing along the coast, few nuts
hsve been allowed to ripen, only
sufficient TO demonstrate that cocoa
nuts can be raised for several hundred
miles along the coast Of Florida,
where the Gulf Stream flows so close TO the
shore. The CocoaDut industry in that vi
Ciuity has received an impetus of late.
Several northern capitalists have gone to
Florida and embarked IN this industry,
seeing like Colonel Sellers millions in It.
Within the past four years over 800. $50
nuts were planted on the coas: OF Florida
Such nuts as are wanted for planting are
gathered into heaps or placed under sheds,
where they are allowed 70 remain until the
sprout shows itself through the hus5.
" hen planted IN regular order holes about
three feet deep and from fifteen 70 thirty
feet apart are dug. In the hole the nut IS
placed with care aud covered with about
one foot of soil. The hole Is filed gradually
as the sprout grows until it reaches the
surface, when it Is left 70 itself. requiring
10 further attention.
Should the place where the cocoanut is
planted be any great distance from the sea
shore quantity Of salt is sometimes placed
IN the hole. and sometimes scraps OF old
iron, as, being strictly salt water loving
tree, ii VIII thrive but short distance
from the sesshore, Eeaguess TO salt water
being absolutely essential 10 its welfare.
Ia fact. it IS said no magnet Is trUer % the
pole than Is the roots Of the cocosD7t tree
20 the ocean; for when the root breaks
through the husk II points directly toward
tie sea. no matter il what position the nut
Is placed n the ground
TIE YOUNG SPEoCT.
Boring its WY downward the root fas-
tens itself 50 deep and Er-nIy in the ground
tHat no tornado no matter how severe las