266 EAMBLES OF A NATURALIST. [Ch. XVI. 



complete and marked, at Malacca, where the people were 

 not so rich, and could not afford to manure the trees so 

 highly, they have not suffered so severely as at Penang and 

 Singapore. 



At the present moment there is no such thing as nutmeg- 

 cultivation, either at Penang or Singapore ; nor does it seem 

 prohable that the experiment will be again tried. Planters 

 are now persuaded that neither the soil nor climate is 

 favourable for their production ; and, as we shall presently 

 see, other crops have fared but little better. The trees 

 which still exist are neglected and abandoned by their 

 owners, though they stiU yield nutmegs. These are 

 gathered by any Chinese or Malays who take the trouble 

 to do so ; and the few nutmegs, insignificant in quantity, 

 which now find their way into the Singapore market, are 

 obtained in this way, — a clear gain to those who carry them 

 there. 



Cotton (Gossypium herbaceum) is another product the 

 cultivation of which has been attempted in Singapore. The 

 cotton-plant always thrives well in private gardens ; and I 

 have seen large pods of good quality on plants in such situa- 

 tions. The only large plantation which has given it a 

 fair trial, however, was that of the late enterprising Mr. 

 d' Almeida, who for two successive years expended consider- 

 able sums on the experiment. But cotton cultivation failed 

 for the same causes as those above referred to — the absence 

 of regular seasonal changes, and the irregularity of the 

 downfalls of rain, which cannot be predicted with any cer- 

 tainty, and therefore cannot be guarded against. The cotton 

 grew magnificently ; the pods were produced and burst open, 

 and then a down-pour of rain would ruin the fibre before it 

 could be gathered. Another cause which led to its abandon- 



