Nov. 2, 1885.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



3^3 



ation, but having become exhausted by constant 

 cropping was abainlouej and Iiad, at the time 

 operation began, become a fieUl of liilang. Such 

 land is plentiful in the neighbourliod of Johore 

 Bahru, and being easy of access was in this instance 

 taken up and opened for experinienlal purposes. 

 That the " clay " which " W. H. G." speaks of is of 

 such a consistency that even the tap-root of a tea- 

 plant cannot penetrate it, is contrary to fact, your 

 correspondent himself contradicting the statement 

 when he writes, a few hues, lower down, that " the 

 growth of the tea plant here (Johore) as far as 

 wood is concerned, is, I must say, very rapid." 



Labour. — The experience of those who have been 

 longest in the country does not support the ideas of 

 your correspondent on the subject of labour in Johore. 

 The labour available for the cultivation of estates 

 consists of three classes : Chinese, Javanese and 

 Malay, with occasionally a few Ivlings. The first- 

 named furnishes an almost unlimited supply, but 

 except for contract work and the opening-up of new 

 land (reading, draining, holing) is too expensive. 

 Javanese are also easily procurable from Singapore, 

 though in Umited numbers. Malays are always to 

 be got for felling contracts, and generally, as occasion 

 arises, for such works as hohng, line-building, etc. 

 That the type of Chinamau procurable in the Straits 

 is not of the best, and that Javanese are not the 

 most industrious workers, I am ready to admit; but 

 pioneers must be content to take and adapt to their 

 purpose such labour as they find in the country, 

 moulding it by degrees into workable material. 

 There are many reasons wliy Chinese are impractic- 

 able as (lay-labourers, but chief amongst these is the 

 fact that they are ever-shifting, never remaining 

 more than a few months at the outside on one place, 

 though the mandore may continue the same origin- 

 ally engaged ; secondly, on account of our in- 

 ability to converse with the coolies directly in their 

 omi language, all instructions having to be given in 

 Malay through the mandore, whose knowledge of 

 this is always very meagre. Javanese, on the 

 other hand, though slow, are steady workers, and 

 will in lime, doubtless, settle down to our Europ- 

 ean ideas of quantity and quality. Contract work 

 seems unintelligible to them, or, as is most likely 

 the case, they find it more advantageous to them- 

 selves to engage for daily wages. Wo .-.uticipate 

 being able soon to obtain Tamil labour on the 

 same terms as those imposed upon idanters in the 

 Native Protected States, if report speaks true as 

 to the iirelimina^y arrangements in connection with 

 the immigration of Tamil coolies to Johore having 

 been satisfactorily settled during the Maharajah's 

 visit in England. Meanwhile we uuist be content 

 with the labour which is to our hands, and which, 

 though sufficiently plentiful, is not yet as cheap 

 as we could wish. 



7V«.— Given a good jdt, the making of good tea 

 depends. I take it, caterii< paribus, upon the skill 

 of the superintendent in charge of the estate, whether 

 in Johore or elsewhere. Your correspondent must 

 have been on this tea garden at an unfortunate 

 and exceptional season, when he saw what he 

 describes as " seed developing at nearly every axis of 

 the leaf." It has been my good fortune to see Hushes 

 in every way as healthy" and regular as tea Hushes ' 

 in Ceylon, and this extending over many months, t 

 The question of cost and supply of labour, much 

 more than that of flushes, is the one which re- 

 qoirea solution in connection with the querv " Will 

 tea pay in Johore?" W. H. G. seems anxious to 

 call in the support of •olherit' to his statements, 

 thus showing weakness of conviction on his part 

 or perhaps lack of what is termed crperience in 

 the country oi which he hae become a devil's ad- 



1 voeate. Perhaps in his next he will enlighten ik 

 ' further, but meanwhile the country has not nuieh 

 I to feai from the idle outpourings of one whose 



resilience in Johore has been but too evidently a 

 , brief one. PIONEER. 



1 Since wn-iting the above I have succeeded iu 

 I obtaining the rainfall returns for five years, and here- 

 I with enclose them for publication. At Guncng 

 j Pulai, where only consistent and reguliir records 

 I have been kept, the average over this term exceeds 



100 inches. Unfortunately Batu Pahat figures are 



not to hand : there the rainfall is higher than at 



Gunong Pulai. 



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VENTILATION. 

 De.ik Sir, — About 1.5 years ago I was for a lime 

 considerably troubled and perhaps somewhat ala' nied, 

 ■eat the signs of extremely rapid deterioration of 

 beams, joists, etc., iSrc, of an upstair floor built for 

 and adopted as a copra store. Deterioration of 

 timbers generally resulted from moist heat from 

 copra, arising from contact with semicircular corrug- 

 ated iron roof, such contact during the night 

 giving rise to condensation and a constant drip, 

 drip, drip, back to the floor again. In my efforts 

 to remedy the evil, if possible, I fried the dotiblu 

 draught ventilator I have drawn your attention 

 to, and I believe very raucli good resulted therefrom, 

 drip being considerably reduced and the room less 

 favourable to fungus. My experience seems to say 

 that variable measure and degree of humidity is 

 no mean factor in the promotion of atmo- 

 spheric circulaticn. Such being the case, a portion 

 at least of "J. B."'s arguments are gi-eatly in favour 

 of, yours respectfully, TEV. 



A VENTILATOR FOR A TEA-HOUSE. 

 Deak Sii!, — I forward this rough sketch of a 

 double draught ventilator which I venture to think 

 would answer well for tea-houses, especially for 

 those who have a pretty tight roof on them which 

 all ceiling ventilators absolutely require. It should 

 be attached to and flush with a ceiling and will 

 work well under such circumstances. Any ordin- 

 ary good tinsmith could fit them up on the 



