292 SPICES 



CHAP. 



1875-1876 to 1879-1880 as much as 7,322,176 Ibs. 

 This import trade decreased, in 1883 to 1889, to less 

 than half, but rose the next year to 5,707,147 Ibs. 

 Nearly all of this was derived from the Straits Settle- 

 ments. 



Of late years the cultivation has been much disturbed 

 by the several diseases which became very serious (see 

 Pests and Diseases). Steps, however, have been taken 

 to remedy these evils, which seem to have been largely 

 due to constant propagating from cuttings. 



In Ceylon. Pepper is said to have been one of the 

 earliest exports from Ceylon. When this island came 

 under the rule of the Dutch, some attention was 

 paid to its cultivation, and in 1739 it is recorded that 

 they exported 465,000 Ibs., the greater part of which 

 was derived from the Kandyan provinces. After the 

 island passed into English hands, the pepper cultivation 

 declined, and though a little was grown for local con- 

 sumption, nothing further was done till about 1879, 

 when it again attracted the attention of planters, and 

 several restarted the cultivation. The plant seems to 

 have grown well, even to an altitude of 2,000 ft., and 

 the produce was considered to be of very good quality, 

 but perhaps from a fall in price the cultivation seems 

 soon after to have lapsed again, and little more has been 

 heard of it for some years. 



Malay Peninsula. Linschoten mentions much 

 pepper as being grown around Malacca in 1583, but at 

 that time there was little trade in it there to Portugal, 

 for he says that it was " two years between each shippe 

 which sailed thence," and though each ship took some 

 pepper, it was chiefly loaded up with cloves and nut- 

 megs, and other merchandise of China. Most of the 

 local -grown pepper went to Pegu, Syon (probably 

 Siam), and China. 



Garcia da Orta (1593) says that pepper, in his time, 

 grew in Malacca by the sea, but was inferior in quality 

 et magna ex parte inane, by which I presume he 

 means flavourless. 



