120 RAMIE CTTLTIVATION IN PERAK. 



There is some ramie growing well near Taiping, on the red 

 soil formed hj the decomposition of granite, almost iti situ. In 

 snch soil the decaying feldspars of the granite would probably 

 yield nearly all the mineral substances required by the plant, in 

 a form that it could assimilate. 



The uusuitability of the soil can be remedied by the intelli- 

 gent application of manure, but climate is beyond control, and 

 the rainfall is therefore the most important of all points to take 

 into consideration in choosing the locality for the cultivation of 

 ramie. It must be not only large, but it must be evenly distri- 

 buted throughout the year, otherwise the crop will be damaged 

 by each drought. The effect of dry weather is that the stalks, 

 instead of growing up straight and single, become stunted, 

 crooked and much branched, in which state they are useless for 

 producing anything but the most inferior quality of fibre. 

 Further, it is necessary, on the setting in of the rains after 

 a drought, to cut out all these dry weather stalks as, though 

 they may eventually grow tall, they will never produce good 

 straight fibre. The loss is therefore not confined to the period 

 of the actual dry weather. 



An examination of the rainfall records of this State, shews 

 that the area which is best suited to the growth of ramie is that 

 which stretches between Taiping and Selama, at the base of the 

 Bubo-Ijau-Inas range of hills. As the distance from the hills 

 increases the rainfall diminishes, and at distances of about six 

 miles from the base of the hills near Taiping not one half is 

 recorded. There is a considerable quantity of unoccupied land 

 in this tract of country, which is all most excellently situated in 

 respect to transport, as it is well served by roads and the rail- 

 way line now in progress. 



The rainfall for the past eighteen years recorded at Taiping 

 and Selama is given in detail in the subjoined table. In the 

 last column is given the mean rainfall deduced from the 

 monthly records. The same facts are shewn graj^hically in the 

 accompanying diagrams. The observing station at Taiping is in 

 the hospital, and is situated some two miles from the foot of 

 the hills. At Selama, which is about thirty miles distance in a 

 northerly direction, the observatory is also in the hospital and 

 is six or eight miles from the base of the hills, but there the 

 foot-hills extend to a much further extent than they do near 

 Taiping, projecting from the range in ridges between the valleys, 

 and apparently carrying the area of excessive rainfall much 

 further out from the range. A careful inspection of these 

 statistics will shew that for ramie cultivation the climate of thi§ 

 portion of the State is almost ideal. 



