221 



The Malays, who own most of the trees give them no cultivation, 

 and so little interest that they generally require compulsion for the re- 

 moving a diseased tree. It was reported, ten years ago that the 

 appointment of an Inspector of Coconuts had brought about an im- 

 provement in the state of the holdings, but the position is still 

 unsatisfactory. 



Of crops from permanent planting, coconuts are rather unreli- 

 able — responding much to reasons, as the following figures of excess 

 exports over imports of copra show : — 



1909 

 1910 

 1911 

 1912 

 1913 



39,542 pikuls. 

 56,222 

 51,932 

 38.834 „ 

 37.022 



The manufacture of Kabong sugar from the palm Arenga 

 saccharifera is decreasing considerably ; and the trees, which are little 

 cared for, although they give the black rope of the country as well as 

 sugar, are much neglected, and often may be seen to stand dead in 

 the Malay holdings along with coconut palms, long after their trimks 

 should have been removed. 



The excess exports over imports have been :^ 



1909 

 I910 

 1911 

 1912 

 1913 



3,722 

 1,912 

 2,282 



1,93^ 

 1,172 



pikuls. 



Sago is made but irregularly in Malacca; and though -the raw 

 product has been produced in sufficient quantities for export during 

 the last three years, the manufactured product has been insufficient, 

 as the following figures show : — 



The area under areca-nuts or betel-nuts has hardly changed; 

 and the output has been fairly steady, except that I9II 

 was a rather bad year. That year proved a very good one for coco- 

 nuts and for fruit trees in Jasin was a record year: it is therefore 

 noteworthy that areca-nuts should not have been plentiful in it. 



