Federated Malay States Agriculture in 1906. 



1906 was a prosperous and in some directions exceptionally 

 progressive year for agriculture in the Federated Malay States. 

 The climate of the Peninsula is not subject to the vicissitudes 

 which obtain in other tropical agricultural countries. The fact 

 that the climate is so equable causes a constant active growth of 

 vegetation, and consequently all our crops— whether annual or 

 perennial— show much greater progress than the same plants 

 during the same time in a country like Ceylon or South India, 

 where prolonged periods of extremely small or absolute lack of 

 rainfall cause temporary cessation of growth. 



The only drawback to the equable climate is that there is no 

 "close time" for insects or fungal pests. In a country where a 

 drought occurs at regular intervals parasitic fungi receive a 



and by constant heavy 



Coconut Plantations. 



The various cultivations of the Native States have suffered 

 from no abnormal pests or diseases. The report of the Inspector 

 of Coconut Plantations gives an interesting account of the pre- 

 vention and cure of the disease due to beetles in this most useful 

 and profitable plant. The work in charge of Mr. Brown and his 

 subordinates is of great economic value to the country, and the 

 tact that the coconut industry is in such a flourishing condition 

 is in no small measure due to their efforts. 



That the glamour of rubber cultivation, with its promise ol 

 exceptionally arge profits, should prevent the appreciation 01 a 

 cultivation, which has been aptly called " Consols of the East, 

 is perhaps only to be expected; but, as the Inspector of Coconub 

 points out it is palpably a foolish proceeding, while plenty 01 

 good jungle land is still available for rubber planting, to cut down 

 healthy coconut trees which are near to the yielding period m 

 order to put rubber in their place. The fact that the price <* 

 ^°Pf steadily rose during the year till it was more than 30 



accent ^ DeCember tha " at the be S innin S ° f thC * 



accentuates this mistaken policy. 



Padi. 



The rice crops in the north of Perak and in Kuang Distri* 

 of Selangor suffered considerably from insect pests last :J* 

 wh.ch are dealt with in detail in the Government Entomology 

 report. With these exceptions the crops during 1906 were abo* 



cuhLlT V s the grain showed vi s° ur and heaIth * 



cultivated under padi was about 83,000 acres. 



