656 



THE 



fi^,^i ii-i .^v 



tCAt, AGitiCULTUKlSf. (April i, iB8p 



Borneo. This is mainly owing to the wide extent 

 of shallow seas (up to one hundred and fifty fathoms 

 in depth) and to the numerous islands. Various of 

 these fish resemble cod, rock-cod huge perch, whiting, 

 herrings, &c.. mcnungin is like haddock; pila-pila, 

 soles ; ikan-inirah reii garnet ; ikanparey is a general 

 term for all sorts of flat fish, skate, flounders, (fee. ; 

 ikan-tumbib'i is nothing other than sardines; ikan- 

 Uannak, mullet. A large silvery-scaled fish has the 

 appearance of salmon, but there the resemblance 

 ceases. A great variety of others have no synotypes, 

 in our English waters, hut ai"e excellent eating. 

 Several methods are employed in their capture. 

 Keelortg, f'fishstakes) ; hook and line ; scramhau, 

 (dip-net,) nets; casting-nets; spearing with and 

 without torches, and bubut (a sort of trap sunk in 

 the water) are the principal. Of these keelong fishing 

 is the favourite when it is intended to take away 

 a quantity. The principal, upon which the keclonr/ 

 is designed, is that of the wire mouse-trap, which 

 being once entered it is impossible afterwards to 

 escape out of. A fence, or barrier, extends from the 

 shore to the required distance out at sea ; the fish 

 encountering this, skirt along it, and thus find their 

 way through two outer chambers, till in time, they 

 arrive in the end compartment. When once the fish 

 have gone into the first chamber, there remains 

 little chance of escape for them, the sides being 

 curled inwards in a heart-shape at its entrance, so 

 that though very easy to pass in by. t is a difficult 

 matter to return. The compartm nt at the end is 

 nsnally round, and about seven to nine feet across. 

 The keehug is made of split bamboo, driven into 

 the sand, and lashed together by split rattans. The 

 total length of the split bamboo, at the end of the 

 kee/oiff being usually from twelve to fifteen feet. 

 Low tide is naturally the time the fish are captured, 

 a canoe paddling up from the shore frightens as 

 many as possible from the first and second chambers 

 into the end one, the narrow entrance or door-way 

 into which is then closed altogether for the time 

 by men who descend into the water, and put through 

 the catching operations, with some little assistance 

 from above. A curious sight may be seen when all 

 is ready by anyone getting upon the slender scaf- 

 folding which surrounds and surmounts the end 

 chamber, the water below being thick with fish of 

 all sorts and sizes. The next proceeding is to lash 

 a loose piece of kclong or bamboo-matting stick or 

 Bcreon kept for the purpose to the inside of the 

 chamber (most of these operations, it will be under- 

 stood being conducted under water), and being un- 

 folded gradually, the fish are driven into a central 

 fold of it till there is almost a solid heap of them. 

 A basket is then let down from the scaffolding on 

 top, and the fish are simply bailed out by the basket- 

 ful and thrown into the canoe alongside. Many of 

 the tish manage to get by or under the loose piece 

 of keelong, as it is being folded around them, and 

 this process has to be repeated three or even four 

 times before all are taken, and even then there are 

 frequently one or two so large that they cannot be 

 got" with the basket, and have to be speared. From 

 three to five picnls of fish is not an uncommon take 

 from one keelong a day ; and four kedongs have been 

 known to yield nearly thirty piculs a day between 

 them for a week together. There is an absence of 

 mental strain or physical exertion in working a 

 keelong, which much commends it to the Malay char- 

 acter, for, as soon as the fish are caught, they are 

 taken to market and sold in one lot to the stall- 

 keepers, and there remains nothirg else to be done 

 during the rest of the day. This industry is cap- 

 able of being indefinitely increased. II our population 

 •were larger and more pressed for means of subsist- 

 ence, the fishermen would make larger and deeper 

 kccloiujg, and would no doubt catch many more fish 

 aliii a large export trade in salted fish would soon 

 be inaugurated. In the south of Borneo, and in 

 Java, there is a large inland population, salt fish 

 being one of their staple articles of consumption, and 

 their own seas being unable to supply all they want 

 tbey would come to us for the balance. 



Kcelongs are a snre method for capturing croco- 

 ^B, should 0Q6 appear in the ueigoboutbood of a, 



keelong, it is certain to be found inside it dtiring the 

 course of the next day or two. No matter hcv; large 

 they happen to be, they but very rarely succeed in 

 forcing their way through the fencing, as the bamboo 

 is very tough and yielding, and, owing to its being 

 partly curled round, the creature cannot exert its 

 full strength. When once caught, they are easily 

 despatched by a rifle shot through the head, fired 

 from the scaffolding above. The next most important 

 method of catching fish, in any quantity, is by sein- 

 ing. This mode hitherto on our coast can scarcely 

 be described as successful, the takes, by its means, 

 not affording an adequate return for the capital in- 

 vested in the seine and the labour involved. Seining 

 has been principally practised by Chinese fishermen 

 from Hongkong, and there is no charge to be brought 

 against them for lack of energy, but it has been 

 almost painful to notice the disappointing results 

 they have brought to market after a hard day's toil, 

 with expensive apparatus as compared with the boat 

 loads of fish brought in by Sooloo men who have 

 simply bailed them out of their keelongs, the con- 

 struction of which costs but little money. The Chin- 

 ese however are very loth to adopt new ideas, and 

 sooner than practice what is clearly the best mode 

 of obtaining a good catch in these waters, they give 

 up tLe whole thing in disgust and return to Hong- 

 kong. Far too many yoimg fish are captured m the 

 seine, a matter which will require legislature in the 

 future. All the other methods, by which fish are 

 caught, may be described, as hand-to-mouth, ones, 

 or at all events, suitable for the supply of the local 

 market only. Hook-and-line fishing, is, perhaps the 

 principal. When owing to want of rain, the water 

 is very clear, tlie fish avoid the keelongs, and the 

 supply in the market falls short, a canoe with two 

 men, lying inside the harbour, can always capture 

 from sixty to eighty catties of fish, in a few hours, 

 which being in request, they can easily obtain S3 or 

 S4 for, in the market. Seyambau, or dip-net fishing 

 sumetimes results in large takes, but it is only had 

 recourse to in the off season: it is usually over 

 twenty feet in width and is managed by a man 

 sitting in an elevated position, who when he sees a 

 shoal of fish passing over the net, lifts it and cap- 

 tures them. The fish thus caught are nearly always 

 mullet :, eighty catties a day is by no means an unusual 

 take. The casting net is usually employed as a 

 mean.s for providmg fish for single households. The 

 correct way of handling it is a small art soon 

 acquired, and it affords good amusement when 

 fishing for shrimps and ikan fumbun (sardines.) 

 These latter fish are very abundant in the Omaddal 

 district, shoals of enormoiis size being always 

 visible. The .■^pearing of fish is practised from boats 

 when opportunities offer ; large skate and other flat 

 fish which have a habit of sleeping on the surface 

 being frequently taken by this means, and at night 

 a bright light, either carried by hand or in a canoe 

 attracts fish which are then easOy speared, but no 

 great quantity is taken in this way. Up to the 

 present time 'the export of salt fish, has been very 

 small, the upcountry demand being large enough to 

 take all that is salted, but with an increased popu- 

 lation, and cheaper labour a very large and important- 

 business may be expected. — Isorth Borneo Herald. 



CtJTTiXG Back Peach Tuees.— A "Maryland corre^ 

 spondent " says: "Some weeks since a very intelligent 

 gardener insisted with me that cutting back budded 

 Ijeach trees was one source of weakened power that 

 led to disease. The budded peach is, as you know, 

 operated on near the ground. The next winter or 

 >priug the plant, perhaps four or five feet high, in 

 cut down to the bud. Numerous sprouts come, and 

 one only lett to form the tree. This check, he says, 

 affects the constitution of the tree. The .-needling U-ee 

 is not cut back, and for this reason it is always a 

 ht-aithier tree. Is there anj thing in this doctrine i"' 

 [We tniuk there is a little theoretically— but prac- 

 tically it is we think so little ot an injury as not to 

 iutertere seriously with the health. But it is worthy 

 further tbought,"ED.— 6flr<ienf;'i' Montlihj. 



