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MINOR ECONOMIC PRODUCTS IN MALAYA. 



By ¥. Gr. Spring, n.d.a., f.l.s. 

 (Agriculturist, F.M.8.) 

 f CONSIDERING the very large profits derived from plantation 

 rubber, in the past few years, it is not surprising that other 

 crops, with the exception of coconuts, have received little or no 

 attention. A planter knows, approximately, what may be expected 

 from his rubber plantation and is, therefore, chary of growing a crop 

 about which there is any speculation. As long as rubber remains 

 about two shillings per pound or over, it is not to be expected that 

 general interest will be taken in other directions, but should the 

 price ever reach the neighbourhood of one shilling per pound, then 

 capitalists would, there is little doubt, be on the outlook for other 

 industries. It is satisfactory that many enquiries have been received, 

 for some time past, regarding the cultivation of a number of crops, 

 for it is greatly to be desired that other agi'icultural products be 

 developed in Malaya. 



A large amount of work is required to be done before a crop 

 can, with any certainty of success, be recommended to the planting 

 world. One must first inquire as to suitability in respect of soil and 

 climate and then consider its possibilities on a financial basis. With 

 small areas it is possible to make accurate records of when plants 

 come into bearing, obtain yields, etc., iri respect of each plant but it 

 is difficult to say from individual yields, or even crops obtained from 

 a few acres, how they will behave when planted on a lai^ge scale and 

 to give costs of production, yields and probable profits with any 

 degree of certainty. 



On the Government Plantations we have experimented with 

 many plants of economic importance, mostly on a small scale, but the 

 more promising on somewhat larger areas, and I now propose to 

 deal briefly with a number of the crops. 



African Oil Palm. {Elseis guineensis.) 

 This palm has long been grown in Malaya as an ornamental 

 plant, but it is only during the past few years that its financial 

 aspect has been considered in this part of the world. The palm 

 would appear, from its distribution in the Peninsula, to thrive on 

 most soils, but a rich humus, fairly damp but well drained, would 

 probably give the best results. Rainfall is an important factor but 

 Malaj^a is well adapted in that respect. In Africa, according to 

 some authorities, the palm comes into bearing in its sixth or seventh 

 year. At the Kuala Lumpur Experimental Plantation several acres 

 were planted up in December, 1912, and a number of the palms 

 began to form fruits towards the end of 1916. Further evidence of 

 early crop production, here, is also available from a number of 



