January i, 1883.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



543 



out. Jlr, Wilson must expect the ciii bono sneer with 

 which such observations are usually met. But how really 

 stauils the case? Does not each successive tUscovery go 

 to show that, uuder present circumstances, our efforts 

 shoulJ be devoted tj prevention rather than cure? From 

 what we now know it is clear that, under existing circum- 

 stances, little or nothing can be done in the way of cure. 

 But the life-history of the fungus at least show us how 

 we may to some consideraljle extent evade and prevent 

 it by meaus often sug^'ested, but never thoroughly carried 

 out. If we could ejt:rely prevent the injjress of the 

 fungus-spores, we should assuredly he able to stamp out 

 the disease. We cannot do this fully, but we can do so 

 to some extent. This is the principle underlying Mr. 

 Jensen's recommendations, and there can be no question 

 he is, so far, on the right track, that is, if it be taken 

 as proved that the spores can germinate and penetrate 

 the skin of the tuber, which is doubtful ; but his process 

 is only calculated to prevent the access of spores which 

 would otherwise fall from the leaf on to the tubers, and 

 takes no heed of those which germinate within the leaf, 

 and penetrate into the interior of the plant, there to 

 reproduce at once or to become for a time dormant. 



"What shall we say of those gardeners an.l farmers who, 

 in spite of their yearly losses, in spite of all the teachings 

 and warnings they have had, not only take no steps at 

 all to prevent the onset of the disease, but seemingly take 

 the best means in their power to diss -miuate it, and insure 

 its wide diffusion ? Why, to men tit n one thing only, there 

 is enough diseased haulm in Covent Garden Market, on 

 any one day in the season, to supply infection for a continent. 

 Those concerned have no longer the excuse that they do 

 not know this; or if they have their ignorance is not 

 mere nescience — it is a crime. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 

 ♦ 



PBODUOTS OF THE STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 



CLOVES — PEPPER — NUTMEGS. 



Cloves and the Clove Tree. — People that labour under the 

 opinion that cloves do well only in the Moluccas and on 

 the island of Zanzibar are simply mistaken. It thrives 

 splendidly in the Straits Settlement — this wonderful, lovely 

 tree. Many years ago enterprising men on the island of 

 Penang introduced and cultivated the clove tree, and it 

 proved a decided success. It is to be found in some of 

 the gardens of Em'opeans and wealthy Chinese in the 

 Straits Settlements, producing flowers liberally ; and it is 

 a subject for wonder why no one cultivates it more largely, 

 nor to serve as an ornament only, but to derive benefit 

 from it. In Penang it was planted for that purpose, and 

 " Penang cloves " have the reputation, like the nutmegs, 

 to be the best in the market, commanding a higher price 

 than Amboyna (Moluccas) and Zanzibar cloves. But the 

 consumption of this spice among the natives throughout 

 the colony (and all India and the East in fact) is so large 

 that the quantity left for export is very limited). It is 

 the bud of the flower just before opening that consti- 

 tutes the spice, and in this lies the difficulty that pre- 

 vents many from planting cloves for export. One having 

 a quantity of trees will find himself busy about the time 

 the buds (white in colour, and strongly resembhng snow- 

 drops) begin to make their appearance. It must not be 

 gathered before it, the bud, is well formed, just before 

 opening ; and as on a full-grown tree the number of buds 

 is exceedingly large, the planter must have plenty of 

 hands ready to gather them as quickly as possible, be- 

 cau.se the bud after opening — becoming a flower — loses 

 much of its strength. Boys and girls from ten to fourteen 

 years old answer best for this purpose. The bud-gather- 

 ing time lasts a few days only, and whoever does not 

 "make hay wltile the sun shines'' will lose his crop of 

 buds. The buds after being gathered are spread on large 

 sieves or mats of loose textm-e, and dried under the shade 

 of trees, or in sheds with palm-leaf covered roofs, and 

 are then ready for the market. To dry them in the sun 

 causes them to dry black and shrivelled, and to evaporate 

 much of their strength. A properly dried clove is of light- 

 brown or tan colour. The shipments of cloves from Sin- 

 gapore to the United States have, last year excepted, 

 never amounted to much, and supplies were obtained 

 chiefly from Ambojma. 



Pepper Cultivation. — Black and white pepper grow on 

 tba same vine ; the green peppei-berries, }aab before ma- 



turity, after gathering, turn black and make " black pep- 

 per," while " white pepper " is obtained by gathering the 

 berries — fire-red in colour — when fully ripe, and through 

 long soaking in water and subsequent stirring and shak- 

 ing, relieving the berries of the outer skin ; after which, 

 on being dried, they become " white." In what country 

 the pepper-vine originated, the writer is unable to say ; 

 but Eastern history says that the northern half of Suma- 

 tra, the once mighty old sultanate of Acheen, when the 

 Portuguese, Dutch, and British (in rotation) came to that 

 country, was far famed for that spice, which drew, at 

 Acheen Busar, in North Sumatra fuear the entrance of 

 the Straits of Malacca), the native traders from many 

 Eastern countries and islands, who there exchanged the 

 products of their countries or purchased for cash. After 

 the British East India Company, during the last century, 

 acquired the island of Penang from the Rajah of Quedah, 

 a Siamese souzerain, so favourably .situated tor commer- 

 cial purposes, and made it a very important factory and 

 place of residence for a sub-governor, the great Acheen 

 trade gradually drifted to Pulo-Peuaug (Prince of Wales 

 Islands), and with it the pepper trade principally. At that 

 time Singapore had not been acquired by the British, and 

 not before 1819, when the island was covered with a 

 dense trackless jungle. After the acquisition of Penang the 

 natives on the peninsula of Malacca, especially in the 

 province of Frang, a Siamese souzerain province, com- 

 menced to plant pepper, and with excellent success; and 

 now it is extensively planted by Malays and Chinese in 

 many places on the penin.sula of Malacca, also in Siam, 

 Co;hin-China, and ui Sarawak, Borneo. That grown in 

 the southern part of the peninsula and on the island of 

 Singapore, known in the market as " Singapore pepper," 

 is by far the best, commanding a higher price than Acheen 

 pepper. Penang maintained the Acheen pepper trade until 

 the Dutch commenced their war of conquest in Acheen 

 in 1873, blockading the coast and preventing the exports 

 of all Acheenese products. At that time, owing to the 

 spread of wild rumom-s about the destruction of the pepper 

 gardens in Acheen, etc., pepper reached the figure of 14 

 dollars per cwt. for a short time. It was feared the sup- 

 pUes from Acheen being cut off, that the spice would 

 become scarce, and as a consequence many Chinese plant- 

 ers increased its cultivation ; in fact, to such extent that 

 the Acheen war was no longer looked upon as the cause 

 of hifluence in prices. Later some of the chiefs of certain 

 Acheenese provinces having submitted to Dutch rule, were 

 allowed to send pepper to Penang on vessels having a 

 permit from the Dutch Consul in Penang to supp.y them 

 with rice and other needed goods. Then it appeared that 

 some of the Rajahs who had subnutted to the Dutch, 

 after having been pretty well supplied with the neces- 

 saries of life, turned truant again, and, as a consequence, 

 their coasts were again blockaded. The Dutch are now 

 making efforts to make " Ole-Seh," the old port of Acheen 

 Busar, in fact well protected by a f..rt and man-of-war, a 

 trading port, and to export " Acheen pepper from Acheen " 

 themselves. As to the pepper-vine it presents a very hand- 

 some appearance; a pepper garden at a distance looks 

 like a "hop-yard." Some planters, however, trelhs the 

 vine, and the writer thinks that is the best plan. It 

 grows everywhere round about Sing.ipore very easily and 

 liLxuriantly on fair upland soil, not liking low heavy soil, 

 and, like the grape-vine, needs occasional pruning, weed- 

 ing and fertilizing. With a little care and attention it 

 yields abundantly and proves a good source of income. 

 The quantity of pepper exported annually from the Malay 

 peninsula and ports in Dutch India is simply immense, 

 and is almost exclusively planted, gathered, and brought 

 to market by natives, Malays and Chinamen chiefly. 



Nutmegs and JIace. — Nutmegs and mace belong together, 

 the lattt'r being the inner covering of the nut. This most 

 interesting, and in its natural fresh state, lovely spice, 

 seems to be an especial favourite with the American peo- 

 ple, since the export thereof of the nut especially to the 

 United States exceeds that to all Europe combined. The 

 home of the nutmeg in reality is ^cw Guinea (Papua), 

 where it grows wild, and it is possible that in times past 

 (and now) the famous and daring Bu,;is traders, who alone 

 obtained the most noted products by way of barter with 

 the extremely barbarous and hostile inhabitants, brought 

 away certain quantities thereof. The most rehable place 



