June 26th is National Coconut Day. I have three books on coconuts, that have the same general theme. You just may be interested.
The first is “Coconut Cultivation and Plantation Machinery”, by H. Lake Coughlan and J.W. Hinchley, 1914. This is a book to get British investors, to put money in the tropical agriculture of Coconut plantations in Malaya. However their government began preventing investors recently, so the author states that the British North Borneo would work just as well.
How safe was this? To quote the author “To one who has lived in Malaya upwards of twenty years, and who has watched its development year by year, and appreciates the wonderful future the country has before it, it is dificult to understand why any persuasion is needed to enterprising Britishers at home…”
I also have ‘All About Coconuts” by Roland Belfort and Alfred Johannes Hoyer, also 1914 (signed by Roland Belfort). This book, like the first, goes into many details about setting up, and working a coconut plantation. Both of these books are interesting in all of the uses coconuts are able to give (husk, leaves, water, coconut meat…), along with the intricacies of running the plantation in a foreign land.
Near the end of the book, this author also gets into investment. He states “The past and present value of the coconut as a commercial asset has been explained to the best of our ability in the preceding pages, Its future possibilites have been pointed out, and our duty now is to indicate more clearly its significance to the investor. What, then, is the promise of this particular industry to those who assist its development with their capital? The direct answer to this question has been provided in words already quoted in the opening chapter of this work, by Sir William Lever, who says “I do not think in the whole world there is a promise of so lucratrive an investment of time and money as in this industry.“”
My third book is “A practical Guide to Coco-nut Planting” by R.W. Munro and L.C. Brown, second edition 1920 (the first was in 1916). It is stated to be born from a request by the Government of the Federated Malay States on the subject of the industry, and the knowledge of material necessary for the “intended Planter” here in the country. This book gave the most descriptive of ‘day to day’ work involved, along with hiring practices and payments, and management of staff.
The authors detail and recommend the success to those who actually live on the plantations, and put their personal touch and ownership on the line. At the end of the book they discuss European Cultivation that is rapidly growing. They say that while it has only been a couple of years, and the trees are still very young (cannot get good harvests of coconuts to as least five years, probably more like six) “there is reason to suppose that the yields will not be unsatisfactory and will show a good return on the outlay.” So book number three also recommends outside investing in coconuts.
Lastly, I have the CD “All Time Greatest Hits” of Harry Nilsson. There is the hit from 1971 that made it to #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100-“Coconut”. Nilsson sings three voices on this wonderful tune.
And now finally to a silly brother who drank, “not a lime but some light’r fluid, drank it right up; drank not a lime but some light’r fluid, drank it right up; drank not a lime but some light’r fluid, drank it right up”: until…
We cried, “Doctor, relieve his belly ache…”
“He took an orogastric tube, and he pumped it right out. He took an orogastric tube and he pumped it right out. He took an orogastric tube and he pumped it right out…”.
“And then he said, “call me in the morning.”
Sorry, Steve. I knew that wasn’t Sprite, when I gave it to you…Glad you are here for another birthday, June 26th.
Librarytomes 