VIII 



PEPPERS 261 



covered the leaves and branches, while plants farther 

 apart were unhurt. I have seen a similar attack on 

 coffee plants growing too near the forest edge and 

 similarly shaded, so that after rain the sun could not 

 reach them sufficiently strong, or for a sufficiently long 

 time to dry them. The pepper wants full light and 

 sun on it, and in case of very shaded localities it is 

 advisable to plant wider apart. But, as a rule, 6 ft. 

 apart allows space for sun and air, and gives enough 

 room for the planter to move about among the vines. 



The ground is left for three weeks to dry when the 

 drains are made. The ground round the sticks is well 

 dug and broken up to the depth of 1 ft. The soil 

 is well mixed with burnt earth and charcoal, and raised 

 to a mound about 18 in. high, when the stake is 

 inserted in its place.^__ 



Planting out. When the cuttings or seedlings in 

 the nursery are ready for planting out, or when the 

 ground and supports are ready, the plants may be 

 put in place. This is usually done in Borneo and the 

 Straits Settlements in January during the wet monsoon, 

 In Bombay pepper is planted in August, but the date 

 of planting in any given locality depends entirely on the 

 period of the wet season. The cuttings when short are 

 arranged in the soil at an angle of 45. degrees or there- 

 about, so that the top presses against the support. In 

 the case of a cutting which has two branches the fork is 

 pressed against the support so 'as to clasp it. /The Chinese 

 put the cuttings facing the east. One to four cuttings 

 are planted to each stake. 



/ After watering, the plants have to be shaded from 

 the sun, by fern fronds or bunches of lalang grass, or 

 boughs of trees. 



Within a week or so after planting each vine receives 

 an application of burnt earth, a few handfuls at a time, 

 and this application is continued every four months. 



Semmler (Tschirch, Heil- und Nutzpflanzen^ de- 

 scribes a Sumatran method of pepper cultivation as 

 follows. The plants are cultivated in rice fields, which 



