Pflanzenkrankheiten. 121 



of pepper. Zimmermann and van Breda de Haan think the 

 eelworms the primary cause, if not the only one of the death of 

 the pepper vines; Zehntner has found eelworms, but is not sure 

 as to what extent they are harmful, Barber and Butler think 

 them of secondary importance. 



IV. The results obtained at the Government pepper farm at 

 Faliperamba (Madras) emphasize that the method of cultivating 

 and manuring ist most important in connection with the premature 

 dying out of pepper vines. M. J. Sirks (Bunnik). 



Rutgers, A. A. L., Onderzoekingen over het ontijdig af- 

 sterven van peperranken in Nederlandsch-Indie. IL 

 De pepercultuur op Banka. [In vestigations about the 

 dying out of pepervines in the Dutch East Indies. IL 

 Pepper-Cultivation in Banka.] (Meded. Labor. Plantenziek- 

 ten. Buitenzorg. N«. 19. 36 pp. 24 pl. 1916.) 



As summary of his paper the author writes: 



I. Pepper has been introduced in Banka about 40 years ago 

 by Chinese from Riouw. Since 20 years the Bankanese (Malay 

 natives in Banka) have been planting pepper, imitating the Chi- 

 nese. The export from Banka amounted in 1913 to 2^ million 

 Guilders. (over £ 200.000.) 



IL Peper-cultivation in the Dutch East Indies has two 

 distinct forms: on the one hand the cultivation, as practised since 

 many centuries by the Malay in Sumatra, a form of agiculture 

 based on exhausting the virgin soil and leaving it alone afterwards, 

 on the other hand the cultivation, as practised by the Chinese, a 

 refined from of horticulture. The pepper-cultivation in Banka is 

 of the latter type. 



III. The pepper-cultivation by the Chinese in Banka is marked 

 by the foUowing characteristics: 



A. The pepper is grown at dead stakes without shadow. 



B. By careful tillage, big plantholes, big burying-trenches and 

 the use of first rate cuttings for planting, vines are grown wilh an 

 extensive and vigorous rootsystem. 



C. The pepper vines remain producing 20 or even 30 years as 

 a result of careful cultivation and abundant manuring with "burnt 

 earth", oil-cakes, cattle manure, fish manure etc. 



D. The average production of each vine amounts to 3 kattie 

 (= 4 Ibs.) white pepper a year. 



IV. The pepper cultivation by the Bankanese is a cheap imita- 

 tion of the cultivation b}^ the Chinese. Tillage, burying of the young 

 vines and manuring are usually neglected. The vines are dying out 

 within 9 years; the production of each vine is less than 1 kattie 

 {= 1.3 Ibs) white pepper a year. 



V. The following diseases and pests have been found in Banka: 



A. Prematurely dying out asaresultofplantingin unsuitablesoil. 



B. Prematurely dying out as a result of insufficient care. 



C. The leaves are eaten by a beetle. (Holofrichm sp.) 



D. The stems are eaten by termites. 



E. The fruits are damaged b}^ a small weevil, which eats 

 small holes in the unripen seed. 



F. On the leaves lice have been found. 



G. Larvae have been found boring in the branches. 

 H. A. cobweb fungus has been found on the leaves. 



