February i, 1883 .] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



657 



List oF Vesetables of Peeak. 

 No. 



1 Potitoes, English and native sweet potatoes. 



2 Cabbage, do do Chinese small kinds. 



3 Turnips do. 



4 Tomatoes (large and fine specimens ncarlj' wild). 



5 Lettuce from Ceylon, from H. Cottam's collection. 



6 Bandikyo or Hibiscus eeculenta do. 



7 Brinjal (both here and from Ceylon) do, 



8 Parsley. 



9 Endive. 



10 Fringe bean, French dwarf and curry beans. 



11 Green pe.as and native varieties grown by Chinese. 



12 Capsicums large, from t'eylon, per Mrs. J.Ferguson. 



13 Puinpkius of different kinds. 



14 Radishes (largely cultivated l>y the Chinese). 



15 Cucumbers, English and native. 



16 Water melons. 



17 GranadJUa, West Indian, from H. Cottam. 



18 Water Cress. 



19 Mushrooms (dried by Chinese.) 



20 Yams of varieties here and in the bazaars. 



21 Mint. 



22 Vegetable marrow. 



Ornamental Useful Grasses. 



1 Guinea grass, growing well and luxuriantly. 



2 English grasses raised from seed for foddi^'. 



3 do do do do for borders. 



4 AVild grasses, rich enough for cattle. 



5 Coarse grasses for bedding horses, &c. 



6 Fancy, va)riegated grasses for g.irdens. 



Kattuu cane for basket-niahing, trays, mats, ber- 

 tum leaves for thatching aud wallmaking of huts 

 and outhouses, and mauy other useful and ornamental 

 plants too numerous to mention just now. 



The opeuing-up of the Pttrak experimental gardens 

 or estates, as before mentioned, was in the true sense 

 of the word uphill work, being 3,500 ft. elevation 

 commanding a view of millions of acres of heavy 

 forest, range upon range to Gunoug I5obor. From 

 the eastern view Kinta range to the west from the 

 sea coast, Lerut district, stretching across the sea to 

 Penaug island. Nine miles from the landing-place, 

 a railway is in course of construction and sm veys 

 progressing. The town of Thaipeingis a place of great 

 commercial importance, and the place of residence 

 of many European officials and a largs population of 

 Chinese and Malays with a native theatre, 1 believe. 

 Mr. Maxwell, late Assistant Resident, ws recently 

 entertained in a m.agniticcnt manner before taking his 

 departure for Australia. In my first letter 1 touched 

 lightly on places not yet visited by me, but in 

 future letters more information can be given your 

 readers regarding the chief towns aud mines, native 

 villages and manners and customs of the people. 

 Meanwhile this letter must be confiued to adescription 

 of our owu district. Kwala Kangsa is the chief town 

 of Perak, the Resident, Hugh Low, Esq., CM. G , man- 

 aging the affairs of Government, assisted by a secretary 

 and staff of clerks. Inspector Taylor is in charge of 

 the detachment of native armed police (.sepoys) and 

 police composed of Malays. In addition to iiis duties 

 as above, be has been very energetic in siiper\iKing the 

 J'esidency gardens and orangeries, orchards, and other 

 public works. The Kwala Kangsa road, tliougb, undula- 

 ting and rather difficult to drive over, is .a good aud 

 easy road to keep in repair, aud Inspector T'aylur is en- 

 g.aged in planting au avenue ,of teak aud other useful 

 sliade trees. 



An eight-mile drive brings us to the Lady Weld road, 

 turning i fJ to the left, aud opened by Lady Weld on the 

 2nd of .luly last year. Half-an-h >ur's walk brini'e the 

 traveller to an experimental garden called Cathaiine 

 Garden with a comfortable bungnlow und river running 

 close by bridged over. The pioneering of Catharine 

 Garden, bungalow and bridge is all the work of Mr. 



C. F. Hozzolo, the superintendent. It contains large J * Whioli may be seen at our office.— Ed 



nurseries of Liberian coffee, CettrA rubber, and numerous 

 fruit-trees aud ornamental shrubs. A laige field of guinea 

 grass is now being planted, also a stable and other out- 

 houses lor the convenience of visitors as well as for the 

 superintendent's own use. Catharine Experimental 

 Garden bids fair to develop into a most cbarmiu" 

 estate, surrounded as it is on all sides with rich jungle, 

 well watered by the tributaries of the Kangsi river. 



Leaving Calbarine Garden (named after Lady Pope 

 Hennessy) accompanied by the superintendent we 

 ascended the mountain road — a masterpiece of good 

 road work, wide enoiigli to ride two abreast, three 

 hours' pleasant walk, passim; Cecilia tea estate cleannu: 

 there we remained some time discussing the several 

 fields to be planted and partook oi tea made by a China- 

 man. For the whole distance of eight miles the 

 gradient was easy, not exceeding one in ten aud 

 oftentimes ouly one lu twenty : there is a fine piece 

 of flat land on which stand the Chinese village or 

 labourers' lines and exteutive nurseries of Assam hy- 

 brid tea plants aud Coft'ea Arabioa. fruit-lrees, &c., &c. 

 On the following morning we were up very early 

 to look at the comet. The first morning I saw the 

 comet was at Waterloo and called the attention of Dr. 

 Sheppard and Captain Schultze to the phenomenon, for 

 we could not distinguish the head or tail of the comet, 

 only an immense luminous light in the east about 5 

 a.m., measuring 50 or 60 feet in length and about 4 

 feet wide to the appearance of the naked eye. Next 

 morning several of us got up early to see it, aud, being 

 a clear morning, most of the people iu Kwala Kangsa 

 saw the comet very distinctly during the last week of 

 September. The next thing after the usual coffee 

 aud eggs, toast, etc., at 6 a.m. mustering the Malays 

 aud sending them to work, was a walk round the 

 whole of the clearing of coffee, tea, cinchona, Li- 

 berian cofl'ee, etc. The Coffea Arabioa is very fine for 

 its age, and leaf-disease only in a mild form, Ie.ss than 

 two years of age, some fields are being topped now at 

 four feet six inches, and bearing a small maiden crop 

 of a very fine sample. (Sea sample addressed to you,*) 



The Liberian coffee is also a great success, scarcely 

 diseased at all, and of dark handsome foliage for such 

 high grown Liberian ; it is really extraordinary. Like the 

 Coffea Arabica it is ouly about 18 months old, and some 

 trees blossoming and four feet in height iu places 

 amongst Arabica coffee. 



1 learn from Mr. Bozzolo, the Superintendent, that 

 the first cinchima ledgeriana planted on this estate 

 were planted by Lady Pope Hennessy. It is 

 we'd to mention that the abovenamcd ladi/ is t!ie 

 daughter oj our Resident, Hugh Love, Esq., C. 3J. O. 

 On the i4th March last, the two plants of ledger 

 referred to were ouly six or eight inches respectively ; 

 they are now four feet three inches in height and most 

 luxuriant in growth ; they were selected from a bed 

 containing a pinch of seed presented by the Govern- 

 ment of Java to Her Majesty's Resident. A patch 

 of ledger 1,300 plants last April aud beginning of 

 May is of wonderful growth. 



Looking buck to the catalogue furnished of so 

 valuable a collection of oiuehon.as, ther* is every 

 reason to believe that Perak will produce bark- of 

 the best quality, and this experimental estate will 

 be iu a position to supply planters and land pro- 

 prietors investing their capital iu Perak with seed 

 aud phints from the best selected|Varieties in the world. 



It all'ords me very great pleasure to vouch for the 

 fair jirospects of the planting enterprize in this set- 

 tlement, and it is to be hoped the Resident, Mr. 

 Low, will be spared to remaiu here to contiuue the 

 good work of introducing the best seeds and plants, 

 aud to encourage pioneers by pointing out suitable 

 land for European and native capitalists to settle 

 upon, and develop large planting districts and town- 



