RAMIE CULTIVATION IN PERAK. 119 



{British Resident, to Curator, Perak Museum.) 



British Rksidemct, Perak. 



20th April, 1897. 

 My Dear Wray, 



I am much obliged to you for all the trouble you haYe taken about 

 ramie. I do not see that Government can do anything to help in the way 

 of making an experiment here. The experiment would havs to be most 

 carefully carried out, and we have no one available to look after it. 



Government might give a free grant of land to a man ^-ith some 

 capital on conditions. 



I think this correspondence should be printed for private circulation, 

 ilr. Mathieu seems to have no objection. Could you undertake to arrange 

 the papers for the Government Pi-inter, and to revise proofs ? 



Tours sincerely, 

 (Signed) W. H. Treacher. 



FURTHER XOTES ON RAMIE CULTIVATION. 



It is by no means to be taken for granted that any land 

 in the Straits Yvill grow ramie, as has been assumed by several 

 people Avho have written on the subject. The following in- 

 stances will make this clear. Some plants were obtained by Mr. 

 H. A. W. Aylesbury from the Botanical Gardens, Penang. on 

 the 9th May, 189", and planted at Kampong Dew, in freshly 

 cleared jungle land, and Mr. Boyd, the Manager, reports that 

 they are now, after the lapse of nine months, only about one 

 foot high, and growing very badly. In the same soil coffee. 

 Para rubber, coconuts, nutmegs, padi, etc., are growing most 

 satisfactorily. Mr. F. A. Stephens, at Jebong Estate, also 

 reports that ramie does not grow with him. The Messrs. Tait 

 have planted a few clumps in rich alluvial land at Tanjong 

 Mahm, and they look miserable, while in the same beds are 

 balsams and other flowers, which are growing luxuriantly. 



An analysis of the ashes of the plant shews that the main 

 constituents of the soil which are required by the plant are 

 potash, soda, lime, common salt and phosphoric acid. It is 

 a deficiency of one or more of these substances which renders 

 the soil in places unsuited to the growth of ramie, and in 

 attempting to grow it in such localities a careful soil analysis 

 would have to be made, and the manui-ing so managed that this 

 constituent is supplied in a form that may be accessible to the 

 plant. We know that in most districts of Perak there is a 

 great deficiency of lime and phosphoric acid. 



