228 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



[September i, 1882. 



To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer. 



THE PLANTING ENTERPRISE IN JOHORE 



AND PERAK:-FACT3 AND FIGURES. 



Slim River, Durian Sa'batang, Perak, 26th June 18S2. 



Sir, — In your edition of the Weekly Ceylon Observer 

 for Stli May last, I read a letter on Johor, Batupahat 

 ilistrict, by "Coffee." He describes the eoil as being 

 " sand mixed with sour clay" and quite iinsuitable to 

 tha growth of cofi'ees, Arabica or Liberi&n, or cocoa. 

 Such a statement from' a man of " nearly 20 years 

 experience" must more or less tend to prejudice 

 your readers and possibly men wanting to leave 

 Ceylon for the Straits and induce them to think tlie 

 soil of the whole peninsula may answer to the de- 

 scription given by " Coffee," viz. " sand mixed with sour 

 clay." 



To disprove this, I forward to your office, carnage 

 paid, by Austrian Lloyd's S. S. from Penang, speci- 

 mens of soil, pressed into tins taken at various 

 depths, and specimens of rock taken from holes dug 

 also from adjacent streams, fair samples of the average 

 qual.ty of a 3,000 acre tract. One hundred acres are 

 nuvv felled and twenty-five planted with Libei-ian coffee, 

 the rest holded and ready for planting, besides a 

 clearing of C. arabica just put in by Mr. ■ -. 



This place is 300 feet elevation over sea-level, running 

 to 5,000 ft. and well watered by many lieavy streams 

 coming from a high mass of mountain land, the 

 uear>-st top of which I can reach in hours (4 OOOfl.). 

 Soil of e.xci'Uent quality. 



Healtli is now good, though at first opening, but 

 nioderaie, much low fever. No dysentery nor jungle 

 fever. 



Liberiau coffee promises to be a great success. 

 Three trees growing side by side, put out in October 

 1881 as 15 inch plants, showed at the end of May 18S2 a 

 total of 34 berries set, and another (the third) blossom 

 to follow. I do not think, sir, that in such eoil as 

 this "'early maturity means prenmture decay." On 

 another Liljerian fourteen months planted I hud 2G0 

 berries and 324 blossoms with 14 pairs of primaries. 

 I think yoii will agree that this soil is nearly perfect 

 and tit to grow either C. arabica, Liberian, or cocoa. 

 I first came across this part of Perak in April 1870, 

 aud heie determined to settle down in spite of 

 seeming difficulties in preference to remaining in 

 N, Perak, but though I sent description of soils and 

 country, could not induce more than one Ceylon 

 gentleman to follow or at least to come and judge for 

 himself. 



Cominiinicatiou is gradually being improved and 

 our river opened to steam launches. Our district 

 magistrate is building his house and station within 

 what will be one day's walk of my place. Cooly 

 stores are very cheap. Kice this month put down 

 here at the rate of K2-87 per bushel, bought in Penang; 

 salt fish at same cheap rate ; dholl B5 per bushel ; 

 oil bought on the river. " Coffee" is right in saying 

 that European food is bad. Pigs and fowls comprise 

 the whole of the fresh meat list, but fish and turtle 

 are brought for sale by the Malays. 



The Indian labour question is still under dis- 

 cussion. Labour at present is above Ceylon jirices. 

 Tamils at 25 (dollar) cents per day are not cheap. I 

 am working 21. Chinese pay better for heavy 

 contract work, but they are not content to earn lees 

 than 25 to 30 cents per day — well worth it for 

 roads, drains and holes : also at planting work they 

 are jjerfeet. I nave just seen Chinese coolies put out 

 200 plants each for hal: day's work with an after 

 lots of 3 to 5 per cent only. The greatest difficulty 



has been the felling, as the Malays are so utterly 

 worthless and unreliable, content only to sleep, eat 

 and get drunk on very strong tobacco. Whether the 

 rising generation will prove more useful remains to be 

 seen. I doubt it much. Slavery is far better suited 

 to their style of work, or at least forced labour, as 

 in Java. 



Mr. -T. N. Christie was here in March 1880, and 

 was well satisfied with what he saw. He decided to 

 take ,3,300 acres in the Slim valley. If " Coffee" should 

 again visit the Straits he had better pay this dis- 

 trict a visit via Penang and Durian Sa'batang. He 

 will, I think, be satisfied with the samples of soil 

 sent to your office. 



Mr, S. Kay Shuttleworth wished me to send samples 

 two years ago, but, having no other certain inform- 



43-38 113-5S 86-61 * 26 June. 



The greatest rainfall in 24 hours duriLg these three years 

 has been 3-00 inches. The shade temperature ranges from 64 

 to 90 degrees Fht. taken at 6 a.m. and 12 noon. 



The box of soils cannot reach you before July. 

 I have sent no surface soil, as I think more reliance 

 can be placed on subsoils, and, where the lattoi are 

 of this quality, the former must be of a superior 

 class. The tins are Labelled showing the different 

 depths down to 38 inches at which taken. I pressed 

 each tin downwards into the soil until full, so that 

 none has been broken before entering the tin. I 

 enclose my card. LEICESTERSHIRE. 



P. S.— After writing this 1 received a letter from 

 the Resident, in which he says: — "The cooly ordin- 

 ance is passed." 



CAPT. COX'S LEDGERS IN WYNAAD :— ANA- 

 LYSIS OF BARK BY MR. HOWARD. 



Cherambadi, July 10th. 

 Deak Sir, — The following analyses made by Messrs. 

 Howard & Sons of samples of bark taken in April 

 last from seven of Capt. Cox's splendid ledgcriaua 

 trees may be of interest to some of your readers who 

 purchased seed from me last season. As the analyses 

 were sent by telegram I cannot give the decimal. 



Class, 



No. 1 



o 



,, .- 



„ 3 



,. 4 



„ 5 



„ 6 



„ 7 



The field where these 



exclusively ledgerianas, 



succirubracultivatiiiu by a belt of jungle. Capt.Coxhad 



previously had bark from most of the trees analysed, 



but I thought it best to have the remaining ones 



done, and I think you will agree with nie, that the 



results are most encouraging. — Y'ours faithfully, 



PERCY GUARD. 



Crystallized Sulph. Quinine. 



10- 



12- 



10- 



10- 



11- 



7- 



12- 



trees are growing contains 

 aud is separated from the 



