AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



STRAITS 



AND 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



JUNE, 1906. [Vol. V. 



BANANA CULTIVATION. 



BY Mr. A. HALE. 



It has seemed to me for some years past, that Banana cultivation 

 has not taken the place which it deserves amongst our planting 

 ventures in the Malay States ; so about a year ago I determined to 

 start some experiments in growing Bananas under the most ordin- 

 ary circumstances in the garden at my Official Quarters in Taiping. 

 I think perhaps the results, even up to now, may be of a little 

 interest. It must be understood that what I tiave done of course, 

 runs the risk of not being carried on permanently, because Govern- 

 ment Officers are often moved and their successors do not always 

 interest themselves in the same hobbies. Some years ago I took a 

 great deal of pains to plant an orchard of the best sorts of fruits at 

 the back of my Official Quarters ; I stayed in the same appointment 

 long enough to eat the first Chiku which I had grown from seed ; 

 then I left, and the men who came after me did not care for gar- 

 dening, so that my orchard got negelected and is I think, now over- 

 grown with lalang. 



Banana cultivation especially seems to me to appeal to us, because 

 generally speaking, Government Officers stay in one post long 

 enough to reap the benefits of their planting, and the results are 

 eminently satisfactory in many ways. The plant is handsome and 

 the fruit is a very good food, what the planter cannot eat himself is 

 always acceptable to the people who inhabit his back premises. I 

 have attached to this memorandum a record of my own planting ; 

 from the time I commenced in March 1905, up to the present date ; 

 the time has not been sufficiently long to show very important re- 

 sults, but I considered it better to publish it now, because I think that 

 the Banana is one of the most important catch crops ; — for those 

 planters who believe in catch crops, — and is especially adapted for 

 planting between rows of rubber trees. One does not expect a 

 great profit from a catch crop under any circumstances ; there are 

 other reasons for planting such things as Bananas, besides that of 

 obtaining actual returns in hard cash, very often indirect profits are 



No. 6.] 



