AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



STRAITS 



AND 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



No. 7.] JULY, 1906. [Vol. V. 



TAPIOCA AS A CATCH-CROP 



By Mr. W. Dunman. 



The desirability of this culture is one of far greater importance 

 than would appear to be the case until the subject has been care- 

 fully studied. 



There is at the moment in the Peninsula a far larger area under 

 Tapioca than Para Rubber. Hitherto such areas have been allowed 

 to become huge wastes of lalang It requires no argument to prove 

 that such wilful waste of enormous areas of good agricultural land, 

 means a loss of revenue to- the country. 



There are two reason able, ways of dealing with the matter. 



1 . The use of chemical manure as is done in Java. 



2. A change of crop. 



The latter seems the easier method and naturally one looks to 

 Para Rubber, more particularly at the present moment. 



One important thing is to get a large area of Para planted up 

 at once. 



There are at the moment several large Tapioca estates in Malacca 

 and various other parts of the Peninsula which could be acquired 

 at reasonable rates — going concerns with Tapioca plant and plenty 

 of labour. On such properties 1,000 acres of Para could be planted 

 up yearly without any difficulty, at a cost of $15 per acre (allowing 

 5 cents for stumps) — 150 per acre. There is nothing to pay for 

 weeding during the first 3 years. 



If two crops of Tapioca have already been taken out of the 

 ground possibly $20 per acre should be spent in manure, but con- 

 sidering the Chinese are willing to work the Tapioca, payino- a 

 royalty of 20 to 30 % according to the market price, such an expendi- 

 ture could well be afforded. 



The Chinese in Malacca are now planting Para largely with 

 their Tapioca, but they do not consider the Para sufficiently as the 

 holing is poorly done and very small plants are put in and in spite 



