BORNEO 243 



draw their entire subsistence, day after day, from a little 

 plot under two acres in extent. 



It is only in the neighbourhood of the European 

 settlement that the native embarks in agriculture fur 

 trading purposes, and even then only under the direction 

 of a civilised master, excepting in the case of the Chinese. 

 Copra, coco-nuts, areca-nuts, rice, pepper, and tobacco are 

 the only field products which appear in the export lists of 

 Dutch Borneo. Gambir and pepper and a tolerable 

 quantity of rice are cultivated in the Sarawak territory ; 

 but coffee, sugar, and tapioca have not proved very 

 remunerative. The Milanaus, however, grow large 

 quantities of sago for export, and the trade is steadily 

 increasing ; but this article may be regarded as a forest 

 product rather than as the result of agriculture. British 

 North Borneo has developed rapidly of late, not a little 

 owing to the success of the tobacco plantations, of which 

 there are now many in operation. The land has proved 

 to be as suitable for the growth of the special quality 

 used for " wrappers " of cigars as Dili in Sumatra, and the 

 high price of three shillings per lb. has been obtained 

 for the leaf in the London market. This, however, is 

 almost the only agricultural product as yet worthy of 

 mention, although it is very probable that both pepper 

 and Manila hemp will eventually bring a large revenue 

 into the country. 



The natural products of Borneo are innumerable, but 

 the country being so little known, and the natives in 

 many parts so untrustworthy, very little has as yet been 

 done to develop them. Timber of many kinds, of which 

 lilian — a species of ironwood resisting the attack of 

 white ants — is perhaps the most valuable ; rattans ; the 

 nipa and nibong palms — which furnish the material for 

 the construction of almost every Bornean house; gum 



