General Notes 595 



and 27^ per cent, respectively; and, according 

 to the Chairman, it would appear that even at 

 ^50 per acre coco-nuts are a better investment 

 than anything a stockbroker at home would 

 recognize as absolutely safe. 



According to the latest official reports, coco- 

 nuts are steadily increasing, principally in 

 Perak and Selangor, though the amount of 

 copra exported last year was smaller than in 

 the year before, owing to the greater local 

 consumption. Lower Perak at present contains 

 30 per cent, of the total coco-nut area of the 

 country. An interesting feature of the industry 

 is the introduction on a large scale of the 

 dwarf or King coco-nut (Nyor gading), which 

 is being tried in the Coast district of Negri 

 Sembilan. Two estates, Sungei Nepah and 

 Chuah, now have 500 acres of this variety 

 under cultivation. The young trees, which are 

 planted 20 ft. x 24 ft., giving 90 to the acre, 

 are doing very well. Preliminary expenses 

 have been rather heavy owing to the difficulty 

 in procuring seed. On the other hand, the 

 palms should come into bearing in about four 

 years, which means not only a shorter time 

 and less expense on upkeep before revenue is 

 obtained, but also a quicker return on money 

 invested. It remains to be seen whether these 

 advantages and the probable higher yield of 

 nuts per acre will compensate for the greater 

 expense in husking, &c., per Ib. of copra 

 obtained. 



