94S 



THE^tROPtCJtt X&TRICTTLTURTST. 



[JUNE I, 1885. 



times six months or more elapse before the raft lsVought 

 to the mills, there being many contingencies (hat inter- 

 fere with regular work— the habits and customs ot the 

 Malays, sickuess, rainy weather, and sometimes want of 

 rain sufficient to float the logs out of the small streamlets 

 into which thev have been rolled or dragged. Wives and 

 children accompany their husbands and frequently lend a 

 hand in hauling or rolling the logs out of the forest. 

 They live in the jungle in huts when the trees are being 

 felled and in huts on the rafts when they are made up 

 and in huts on the mills. They are a quiet, orderly peo- 

 ple now: very independent, yet kindly disposed. Their 

 wants are few, as thay do not surfer the privation attend- 

 ant upon the rigorous and changeable climate of more 

 north eru latitudes. Theirs is a constant summer, mono- 

 tonous perhaps in its sameness, more or less relaxing, 

 nevertheless very pleasant and enjoyable to them. They 

 take nothing intoxicating, and are very fond of liberty and 

 independence, and a free and easy life. 



Thev Malay Peninsula offers to the Chinese a good field 

 for immigration. No fewer than 120 small settlements 

 have been made in Johor by them during the last year. 

 The periodical droughts, brought on in no small degree 

 by the absence of forests in China, cause famines, which 

 induce many to leave their country. Coupled with the 

 superabundant population, there is a steady stream of 

 immigrants at all times, but these are not wanted m the 

 Dutch Colonies nor in California or any of the United 

 States Neither is their presence palatable in Queensland, 

 Australia, nor in New Zealand. It may be asked, where, 

 then, are they to go ? It may be answered, to the Malay 

 Peninsula, where thousands will find employment in tin 

 mining and in cultivating pepper, gambler, and other 

 tropical products. It it is said that the land near the 

 seaboard and *on the banks of the rivers will soon be taken 

 up the answer is, make roads, and, above all, make rail- 

 roads; this would open up the Malay Peninsula sooner 

 than any other way, as the land on either side of 

 a line of railway would instantly be taken up by rich 

 Chinese and European capitalists. And here it may be 

 added that it is not the fault of H. H. the Maharajah 

 of Johor that a line has not long ere this been put through 

 his territory. He has spent a large sum from first to last 

 in making the attempt; doubtless he will be recouped 

 when a railway through Johor is an accomplished fact. I 

 think it was Sir Macdonald Stephenson who said that the 

 day would come when there would be a railway across 

 the Continent of Australia which would join one from 

 Singapore through the Johor territory and up through the 

 Malay Peninsula and British Burma on to Calcutta, and 

 thus enable Australians, New Zealanders, Dutch, Spanish, 

 French, and other colonists to go home per rail in a very 

 short time. Of course he had the completion of the 

 Euphrates Valley Railway in his mind's eye. 



Nowhere could a railway be made cheaper than through 

 the Johor territory. Land could be obtained on easy terms, 

 sleepers of excellent quality could be had all along the 

 line, Chinese labour is abundant. The opening up of Johor 

 would benefit Singapore trade and commerce. The accom- 

 plishment of this is only a matter of time. 



His Highness the Maharajah is an enlightened prince, 

 a K 0. M. G., K. C. S. I., and is decorated with other 

 foreign orders; he is anxious to do all he can for the 

 advancement of his people and country. Under his mild 

 but firm rule great strides have been made, and doubt- 

 less there exists a great future for Johor.— Singapore Free 



Tress. 



♦ ■ 



Brazil. The rernambuco planters have memorial- 



ized the Chambers for au emancipation law. Five 

 years is the term, but they also want a gigantic 

 bank to loan money to them at 6 per cent, interest and 

 6 per cent, sinking fund.— Rio News. 



SuLPniDE of Potassium.— In support of his previous 

 testimony with regard to the efficacy of the substance in 

 checking the ravages of mildew and allied forms of fungus 

 growth on plants, Mr. Touks, of Knowle, Warwickshire, 

 recently sent to our office a fine healthy specimen of a 

 zonal Pelargonium which a mouth ago was rapidly perish- 

 ing from the disease. This plant had been totally 

 immersed, soil and all, in the solution, to complete cure 

 of the malady.— Gardeners' Chronicle. 



AREOANUT CULTIVATION. 

 (To the Editor of the Local "Times.") 

 Sie, — In now sending you, as promised, some further 

 data, in reference to areca cultivation, I take advantage 

 of Mr. Borron's letter (see page 791) categorically, as 

 numbered, to add my mite to the valuable information he has 

 given, and shew how far difference of locality may justify 

 divergence of opinion under certain headings, omitting 

 notice of those that agree with my own experience, that 

 I cannot add to, or where it seems unnecessary. 



(2) To the uses enumerated, as stated elsewhere, I 

 should hope there is a fair prospect that, when grown 

 on a large scale — the nuts cleaned and cured- for export — 

 a profitable market will be found for the prepared husk 

 as with coconut. The shed leaves seem also to contain 

 a fibre that might perhaps be turned to some account. 



(3) To obtain the best results I quite agree, and think 

 all points to it, that a " not low, and as well as possible 

 distributed rainfall " is a desideratum. In the Udagama 

 district, even during the disastrous drought of last year 

 Mr. Borron refers to, I do not think on any occasion a 

 fortnight passed without an appreciable shower — veget- 

 ation of all kinds, I might say, remaining entirely unaffected 

 by it. On the other hand, on journeying up the line to 

 Dikoya last month, the effects of a protracted interval of 

 unbroken sunshine, either at the time, or previously (or 

 both ?) seemed to me painfully apparent on many well- 

 aged clumps of areca about and beyond Kadugannawa, as 

 far as Nawalapitiya — a wetter neighbourhood, I should 

 suppose, than Matale East. 



(4) I find the palm grows very well on steep features. 

 If necessary, the injury referred to might be effectually 

 checked by a modified system of terracing at a not pro- 

 hibitive outlay. 



(6) As to the effect of quartz in the soil I am un- 

 able to speak, as it hardly occurs here. Under othw- 

 wise favorable conditions, " the better the soil the betrcr 

 the growth and crop," I take it may be regarded almost 

 generally, for aH cultivation, as a truism. 



(8) Slab rock certainly should be avoided, though in 

 an evenly moist climate, where there is some shade, and 

 with an appreciable top dressing of good soil, good growth 

 and crop may, I think, be looked for — I mean in a clear- 

 ing where a bit of ground of this description occurred 

 on which jungle trees had grown up I would not hesitate 

 to plant it over, leaving additional shade. On rocky land, 

 and amongst soil-retaining boulders, that the areca grows 

 luxuriantly, and fruits very heavily— possibly better than 

 in any other situation, whatever the features of the land 

 may be otherwise —I can vouch for, in a suitable climato. 

 Under protracted drought no doubt the rocks would 

 absorb and give off again an amount of heat that might 

 be even fatally injurious. 



(9) My experience here is quite the reverse. Six months 

 old plants have hung fire aud been a failure, whilst seed 

 at stake (better to be well germinated) have proved an 

 unvarying success on all the estates in this district. 



(10) That it is absolutely necessary to success to keep 

 an areca clearing " systematically clean of allji-igle stuff, 

 &c, " there is abundant evidence to the contrary. But, 

 as to whether as a matter of choice, this may, or may 

 not be, the best system to adopt, I would prefer reserv- 

 ing opinion for the present. Anyhow, that but light 

 outlay is necessary under this heading, and that a far 

 less systematic, costly, system than in vogue for coffee, 

 &c, will be found to answer very well is, I consider 

 certain. 



(11) I need not reiterate my belief in favor of a 

 closer system of planting than Mr. Borron recommends. 

 The crowded clusters of fine trees, bearing crops certain- 

 ly on an average beyond bis estimated yield of 300 nuts, 

 to be seen in the native gardens about here, afford all 

 the evidence necessary. If it is argued that this is no 

 fair criterion — that the trees will not bear thus beyond 

 the charmed influence of the human voice, — I can only 

 reply that granting the need, I will shout at my trees 

 till they do, if manuring means this, for the crop allows 

 ample margin ! At the same time, I could also shew 

 Mr. Borron more than one not inconsiderable patch grow- 

 ing wild and bearing well in the jungles near here. On 

 some laud belonging to Mr. Dobree there is a sort of 

 cave on a rather steep rocky bit of ground of which in 



