4 



Selangor Copra from native and Chinese sources is of fair quality 

 but contains a good percentage of unripe nut, also sand and other im- 

 purities. 



The exports of Copra are to Russia, France, Spain and other conti- 

 nental ports and recently to the United Kingdom. The exports of coco- 

 nut oil from Singapore in 1907 reached 159,801 pikuls of which 40,163 

 piculs were imported chiefly from Pontianak. 



The imports into and exports from Singapore in each of the 

 5 years 1903 to 1907, and for 9 months of 1908 are:— 



Year. 



Imports. 



Exports. 



Piculs. 



Value. 



Piculs. 



Value. 



1903 

 1904 

 1905 

 1906 

 1907 

 9 months of 

 1908 



752,371 

 643,603 

 923,991 

 635,385 

 927,652 

 897,175 



6,090,581 

 5,234,079 

 7,107,328 

 5,215,593 

 8,571,039 

 6,205,535 



628,099 

 493,364 

 776,285 

 427,307 

 654,869 

 781,057 



5,214,877 

 4,165,957 

 6,086,476 

 3,620,755 

 6,303,115 

 5,529,955 



The Director of Agriculture has stated in his annual report for 

 1907 that this important branch of the Agriculture of the Federated 

 Malay States has increased in acreage by seven per cent during that 

 year and that the total area under coconuts at the end of the same 

 period was 112, 500 acres. These facts and the above figures demon- 

 strate the importance of the Copra Industry to the Peninsula and 

 surrounding Islands and also shew that there is a renewed interest in 

 not the least imporatant of our agricultural staple industries. 



It is hoped that this renewed interest will bring about better 

 cultivation and induce growers to take more pains in the preparation 

 of their produce for market. 



T. Wilson Main. 



VIRUS REMEDIES AGAINST RATS. 



I have carried on experiments for some time past with certain rat 

 viruses. I have been successful with Liverpool Virus and think it well 

 to make this known to readers of the " Agricultural Bulletin." 



I know that many estate bungalows are much infested by rats 

 and that most of the ordinary remedies have failed, and many, on ac- 

 count of the danger of poisoning domestic animals, cannot be used. 

 Estate managers, Sanitary Board officials, owners of stores and many 

 others may like to give a virus remedy a trial. It is claimed for all 

 of them that they are harmless to domestic animals, and further that 

 the disease which the virus induces in rats spreads from animal to 

 animal. 



