and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. — February, 1912. 173 



and in the Pomona College Journal of econo- 

 mic Botany for last September there is an 

 article which gives some interesting particulars 

 of its cultivation in those two States. Although 

 the tree is easily propagated from seeds, yet 

 there are numerous well marked varieties of it 

 which are reproduced by grafting or budding, 

 seedlings being used as stocks. They begin to 

 bear fruit in their second or third year. The 

 varieties bear such names as Pollock, Trap (the 

 most preferred in Florida), Baldwin, Family, 

 Peacock, etc. Full grown trees yield from 500 

 to 1,000 fruits yearly. They vary in their season 

 of ripening, the normal time being August and 

 September, but by selection varieties have been 

 obtained which ripen much later and are 

 therefore in most demand by planters, the fruit 

 finding the readiest sale in the States during the 

 winter months. Some of the Mexican varieties 

 have a thick-skinned fruit, and therefore travel 

 better than the thin-skinned kind. There is 

 also some variety in the colour, size and shape 

 of the fruits of the cultivated sorts, some of 

 which are apple-shaped and purple, others yel- 

 low or dull crimson and they weigh as much as 

 a pound or more. There is a hope among 

 dealers that a seedless variety will be obtained, 

 although the chance of such a thing is about as 

 remote as that of a seedless peacb. Avocado 

 pears are now to be seen in the windows of 

 fruiterers in the West end of London. 



PLANTING AND PROGRESS AND 

 LABOUR IN THE FEDERATED 

 MALAY STATES. 



The Experience of a Former Ceylon 

 Planter. 



Writing to us from a favorite division of the 

 F. M. States, an old Ceylon planter does not 

 give a favourable account of the steadiness of 

 the coolies in his neighbourhood we are sorry 

 to see, although it is a natural consequence of 

 multiplied temptations. He begins 



" I must express my gratitude at the firm 

 manner you are fighting the drink traffic in 

 (Jeylon. I only wish we had such a champion 

 here, as it has becotne in this country an in- 

 creasing danger to the people, and especially to 

 our old friend Ramasamy. I regret to say that 

 I have seen more drunkenness here in a week, 

 than I had seen in Ceylon for 14 years in the 

 ' eighties : and ' nineties.' Money is plentiful ; 

 and so are the gin shops, and coolies also take 

 the stuff to their lines and imbibe. There are 

 several cheap decoctions of German make that 

 they indulge in, all more or less intoxicating." 



Then, we are told a little on the other side, 

 and also of some of the difficulties with the 

 management and conservation of labour, even in 

 the " land of prosperity and dollars " : — 



" The liquor shops in the vicinity of 

 estates are fairly well controlled. The Dis- 

 trict Officer generally sends a circular round 

 annually to the Secretaries of the local 

 Associations to inquire if any shop or shops, 

 are undesirable or badly conducted, or in 

 any way proving a nuisance, and if so, the 

 holders are promptly refused a renewal of their 

 jcense, So that it rests a good deal with the 



Managers as to how many or how few taverns 

 may be in a district. Some argue that it is 

 putting into one hand that might be divided 

 amongst more. So it resolves itself into ' local 

 option ' ; but I regret to say the grog-shops aro 

 studded all along our thoroughfares, and aro 

 mostly in charge of Chinese who themselves aro 

 on the whole a sober race; though keen for 

 making money. They have the most of our 

 shops both in towns and villages, and are more 

 enterprising than the Malays who are an indol- 

 ent people as a whole, who are allowing their 

 fertile holdings to pass into the hands of 

 Chinese principally, or Europeans should they 

 require them. But the Government Policy is 

 to reserve mostly all the road frontages for the 

 natives of the country, called Kampong lands. 

 If a big lot of them were rounded up with a 

 view to purchase, the District Officer in their 

 interests might refuse a transfer, and I 

 have heard of this being done. The Malays 

 are a very sober race, and it is not for 

 drink, but for the improvident desire to be 

 able to act the gentleman from his point 

 of view and he forgets (or it is not in his 

 creed) that ' to labour is to pray.' The un- 

 sophisticated Malay in remote regions is a cour- 

 teous and wel-disposed person. The Govern- 

 ment looks well after the interests of the Malay; 

 but I fear with all this care, they cannot prevent 

 them and their lands being gradually acquired 

 by the more enterprising, industrious and frugal 

 races that are quickly occupying the trade and 

 industries of the fast developing and- fertile 

 country. However, there is plenty for all, and 

 the Koads and Railways are fast laying open 

 large tracks of land all over the peninsula. The 

 Government have an enormous and increasing 

 revenue, and this is being partly used for the 

 development of Roads, Railways, &c, which are 

 all free of debt. There is of course, a diversity 

 of opinion, as to how it is being spent, or not 

 spent — or given on loan to Padar Docks, or to 

 develop Siamese Railways when they might be 

 improving townships, roads and bridges in 

 the States. And yet it is a farseeing policy to 

 aim at, having a ivailway right up through the 

 peninsula, up on to Bangkok in course of time — 

 not far off perhaps ! Government have been 

 pushing us in legislation regarding our immedi- 

 ate planting requirements, and undoubtedly 

 irritating to some, but laws have to be 

 made for those who are wishing to evade 

 or abuse, and for the breaker, not the law- 

 abiding and honourable person, The land laws, 

 such as quit rent I disagree with, when they 

 again catch us with the per cent ad valorem 

 duty, and which has to be paid at once, and we 

 have to wait two months for our sales, it is cut- 

 ting off in both ways. We get the land at one 

 dollar for six years, and i dollars an acre there- 

 after, but 10 shillings an acre for land cultivated 

 or uncultivated (and some is not tit for cultiva- 

 tion) ieema a hardship to me, when they step in 

 as well and get 2} per cont ad valorem duty when 

 Che land reaches the producing stage. 



" There are many irritating and impractica- 

 ble regulations from Health Officers, without 

 uue thought or discrimination, and again this 

 Protectorate of Indian labour is sometimes un- 

 settling, as the coolies think the Government 



