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r UPPERS 



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too rapid draining away of the moisture. Level ground 

 lying along a river bank, not too swampy, and free from 

 flooding, is the best situation for a pepper garden. But 

 even if occasionally flooded, little harm is done if the 

 water does not remain over the ground for more than a 

 day. Good drainage is necessary, especially in very 

 low-lying ground, for excessive moisture, as well as 

 excessive dryness, is to be avoided. Salt marshes or 

 ground containing an excess of salt is to be avoided. ] 



Altitudes.-f- Far the greatest amount of pepper 

 plantations lie at about sea-level, or only 200 or 300 ft. 

 above it. Pepper can, however, be cultivated at a 

 higher level with success. 



(_ Soils. The richer the soil the more suitable it is 

 for pepper. The plant., like all species of the genus, 



naturally inhabits dense forests, where it grows on the 



rich decaying leaf-mould or humus, formed in the woods. 

 The more vegetable soil, therefore, that (here is in 

 the ground, the better it is for the vines. I The soil in 

 the Straits Settlements and also in Sarawak, where the 

 Chinese have long successfully cultivated the plant, is 

 a stiff yellow clay, very poor in potash and lime. 

 Analyses of similar soils in the Botanic Gardens of 

 Singapore, from spots which were formerly pepper 



gardens, show the composition of this class of soil to be 

 as follows : 



