St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1903-09-05
CULTIVATION Or oocoAEurs'

CULTIVATION "
to Salt water N Abselsss
Essential to the Welfare
Of the Trees.
Although the true ard original nome
OF the cocoanut is III lndfa anu eno
South Sea islands, 1t has become g
widely difusea by the hands ! mar
and the waves OF ths ocean that II y
now q prominent feature in ainaos'
e tropical portion Of the gioDe'
between 100000 and 4,Ooo,-
900 acres with its beautiful pains
and numbering $50, 00O, 900 trees, Yield
ing annually 10000, 00O, 900 OF cocoa
nuts. says Golden Days.
For many years cocoanuts rave groWn
on the coast Of southern Florida Du'
owing to an extreme fondness for the
green nuts manifested by those en-
gagged IN the sponge fishing along the
coast, few nuts have been flowed 70
ripen. only sufficient to demonstrate
that cocoanuts can be raised Q sever.
al hundred miles along the coast o.
Florida, where the Gulf stream noWs
so close to the shore.
Such nuts as are wanted for plant
ing are gathered into heaps or placed
under sheds, where they are alloWeo
to remain until the sprout shows 1tseii
through the husk. When planted II
regular order. holes three feet deep,
and from Is to 30 feet apart, are y
In each hole a nut is placed with care,
and covered with about one 1oot o.
soil. The hole is filed gradually as
the sprout grows until it reaches the
surface, when 1t is left to itself, requlr-
ing no further attention.
Should the place where the cocoannt
is planted be any great distance from
the seashore, a quantity OF salt Us
sometimes placed, in the hole. and
sometimes scraps Of old iron, as, be-
ing strictly a saltwater loving tree
it will thrive but q short distance
from the seashore. nearness TO salt
water being absolutely essential TO ~
welfare. It is said no magnet Is true1
to the pole than is the root OF b Co
coanut tree to the ocean, for when the
root breaks through the husk 1t poiyfs
directly toward the sea no matter II
what position the NUTS placed In the
ground. Boring downward, the root
fastens Itself 81 deeply and firmly IN
the ground that no tornado, no matter
how severe. has ever been known to
wrench It from its moorings;sbat the
hurricane, 30 frequent in the tropics,
will often twist the trunks and carry
the broken portions q long distance;
thus ending that %cocoanht palm, as II
will not sprout e second time.
Could you examine a cocoanut when
in the process OF sproating. you viii
find directly beneath the sproutine
eye, a small white mAshroom-shaped
kernel. and In this little germ lies the
lifesof the future tree. Shut up in ita
prison-like shell, and the shell sur
rounded by many inches thick Of
tough, tangled fiber, how is It to work
It's way out and perform the duty as
signed to it? For it Is apparently as
soft and tender as a~baby's hand,
Soon Its tiny fingers begin boring thei1
way cut of the weakest eye: then
rending the tough woody fiber rfghi
and left, 1t forces itself to the surface
and commences the campaign Of life
sending It's shoot upward to form the
tree and downward to form the roots
still clinging to its parent for sup
port. until the entire inside Of the
shell is filed with a round ball-like
substance formed by the CONCEALED
milk of the cocoanut.
From 1t the roots fast forming re-
cefve their stan Of life until the
mother cocoanut becomes exhausted,
and, having fulfilled her mission. As
deserted by her offspring and left q
dead and useless mass of fiber.
On grows, tie tree. sending deep In
to the ground its roots-and high into
the air its trunk. until after a lapse
OF. from Ave to eight years it has at
tanned . height Of from 40 to go feet
and then pays tribute to mother earth
by bearing its first fruit. and under IA
vorable circumstances, continuing to
yield more than half ascentury, giving
its owner from 100 to 900 marketable
nuts q year.
Through the center Of the trunk oi
the cocoanut tree is q soft. ibrous
heart, which furnishes thealife Of thu
tree and acts as a pump In forcing tc
the nuts the immense quantity OF
water required to Ill them.
This fibrous heart has a wonderful
fltering power, for no matter IN whai
location the tree may be growing.
either upon the beach or ii malarial
swamps near pools OF stagnant water
when nature has done her work she
deposits in the cocoanut a sparkling
liquid is clear - crystal andas coo.
as II drawn from the deepest well
Having no particular season for fruit
ing, but bearing all the year around
blossoms. ripe and green fruit may be
found on the same tree: @
The blossom Of the cocoaput is d
beautiful and peculiar WORK Of ma
ture's art. Appearing atsthe base 81
the long, ragged leaves it is a gourd-
like sheath, green in color. and stand
ing erect until its own weight causes II
to bend downward, where it hangs
until the stems 1t incloses. which art
to bear and sustain the nuts, are SUN.
GENTLY matured to proceed on theil
journey without protection. Wher
this outer covering splits open It re.
veals q cluster Of ragged stems, upor
each Of which will be found miniature
cocoapv1ts requiring about IA months t.
ripen.
Living, Yet Dead.
In q German law Journal may BIZ
found q curinNa acc0a1nf az a urnna.