162 VOVAGE FROM INDIA TO SIAM AND MALACCA. 



ed for the cultivation of rice, because it has abundance of water 

 and it very rich. There are generally two harvests of rice 

 yearly, the first one being- in December. In January the fields 

 are mostly dry, and then they burn all the stubbles and the 

 grass which has been growing during the rainy season, the 

 ashes furnishing the manure for this clayey soil. Along the 

 banks of the river only there is wood, from 100 to 1,000 feet wide, 

 and behind this wood begin the never-ending rice fields. The 

 inhabitants of these woods live in houses which are built on 

 bamboo poles, a man's height above the ground ; these houses 

 are built of split bamboo and palm-leaves. They have their 

 gardens in these woods, and have rarely any hedges, but as the 

 soil is so very fertile, long deep ditches have been made, cutting 

 it in all directions and being commonly so broad that a man can 

 jump over them. Deep in the woods one sees now and then 

 such ditches ; the ground thrown out of these ditches, raises the 

 soil and prevents it from being inundated too often ; such raised 

 part of the soil is seldom broader than three to four steps, and 

 pretty long, the width naturally depending on how low the soil 

 was originally and what height is required to ward off an 

 inundation. 



On this raised part they sow all their vegetables and plant 

 their pisang shoots. Now and then one sees black pepper climb- 

 ing- on an Erythrina \ all other fruit trees grow wild, several 

 eatable kinds of DoHchos grew wild at the banks of brooks and 

 rivers,- among the frequently occurring Verhesina hiflora, Coke 

 Lachryma-Johi, and others. Most of the wild trees were at this 

 time almost without leaves or blossoms; some had half-ripe fruit, 

 so that I could make out little about them* One Diospyros was 

 in blossom and had fruits, which I described. Spondias amhaJam 

 began to bloom, but had no leaves. Here and there grew some 

 kinds of figs as Ficus inclicci, hengalensis, reHgiosa, etc. I often 

 ssiW Michelia growing wild and very high and also Cratoeva 

 Marmelos\ these are the chief kinds which I recognised. 



. Among the bushes there- were some small kinds of palms, 

 which,! have partly described, specially the Aralia, Phyllanthus 

 with white fruits, the one which Burman reckons among the 

 Ehamni 8ind cs^lled Vitis idea ; SiU Allophyllus, which had' large 

 orbicular leaf auricles^ ' 



There grew many kinds of grasses in the ditches, they were 



