. Bulletin. 1901-13. Agriculture; Agriculture. and youngest leaf, is from 1 to meters (fig. 9, the distance between points x and y). As leaves appear in the center of the crown they are upright and tightly folded, like a closed fan, grad- ually opening and assuming a more oblique and later a horizontal position as they mature. The great length of the leaves gives them the appearance of considerable flexibility as they wave in the breeze, but it is impossible to bend away the central leaves and get down any- where near the center, this fact be- ing due partly, of course, to the leaf sheath,
. Bulletin. 1901-13. Agriculture; Agriculture. and youngest leaf, is from 1 to meters (fig. 9, the distance between points x and y). As leaves appear in the center of the crown they are upright and tightly folded, like a closed fan, grad- ually opening and assuming a more oblique and later a horizontal position as they mature. The great length of the leaves gives them the appearance of considerable flexibility as they wave in the breeze, but it is impossible to bend away the central leaves and get down any- where near the center, this fact be- ing due partly, of course, to the leaf sheath, and also partly to the rigidity of the stalk. At the inside base of every leaf is a flower bud winch en- larges and splits open, allowing an elongate sword or spathe to develop Fig. 8.—Diagrammatic cross section of bud of the coconut palm inclosed by some of the outer leaf sheaths: a, b, c, d, e,f, g, h, Succes- sive petioles, each extending laterally Into a leaf sheath. Immediately adjacent to each leafstalk is a sword. to a length of 1 to meters (fig. 9). Then the sword itself splits longitudinally and allows the flower spike to open out Each spike bears both pistillate and stami- nate flowers. An average tree will have perhaps 10 spikes of nuts and a dozen or so nuts on a spike. Usually 30 or 40 nuts are set from a flower spike, but seldom more than 10 to 20 mature. The arrange- ment of the crown of leaves in rosette fashion furnishes an excellent receptacle for rain, which runs down and soaks into the fibrous sheath and serves to keep the tender growing part in a constantly moist condition. The base of the leaves also serves as a catchall for fallen flowerSj mature nuts, and the like—forms of debris which tend to rot close to the trunk. Under normal conditions there is no injury, but under certain conditions the debris and the constant moisture held in the strainer furnish a means by which the disease may pass from an iimocuous condition among the hard tissues of t
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