403 



circle of growth extends westward as far as Pinang, or Prince of 

 Wales Island, where, although an exotic, it has been cultivated as 

 a mercantile speculation with success for many years. "West- 

 ward of Pinang there are no plantations, looking at the subject 

 in a mercantile point of view. The tree is to be found, indeed, in 

 Ceylon, and the West Coast of India, but to grow it as a specu- 

 lation out of its indigenous limits, is as likely to prove successful 

 as the cidtivation of apples and pears in Bengal, 



In the Banda Isles, where the tree may be considered as in- 

 digenous, no further attention is paid to its cidtivation than setting 

 out the plants in parks, under the shade of large forest trees, 

 with long horizontal branches, called "Canari" by the natives. 

 There it attains a height of 50 feefc and up\^ ards, whereas from 

 2 0 to 30 feet may be taken as a fair average of the trees in the 

 Straits' Settlements ; but notwitstanding our pigmy proportions 

 (adds Dr. Oxley), it does not appear, from all I could ever learn, 

 that we are relatively behind the Banda trees, either in c^uantity 

 or quality of produce, and I am strongly impressed with the idea 

 that the island of Singapore can compete with the Banda group 

 on perfectly even terms. Oui' cHmate is quite unexceptionable 

 for the growth of the nutmeg, being neither exposed to droughts 

 o? high vands ; and although we may lose by comparison of soils, 

 we again gain by greater facilities of sending our products to 

 market, by the facility of obtaining abundant supplies of manure, 

 and any amount of free and cheap labor. 



A nutmeg plantation, well laid out and brought up to perfec- 

 tion, is one of the most pleasing and agreeable properties that 

 can be possessed. Yielding returns, more or less daily, throughout 

 the year, there is increasing interest, besides the usual stimulus 

 to all agriculturists of a crop time, when his produce increases to 

 double and quadruple the ordinary routine. 



Trees having arrived at fifteen years growth, there is no incer- 

 titude or fear of total failure of crop, only in relative amount of 

 produce, and this, as wiR be seen, is greatly in the planter's own 

 power to command. It is against reason to suppose that a ti'ee in 

 flower and fruit will not expend itself if left to unaided nature : 

 it must be supplied with suitable stimuli to make good the waste, 

 tlierefore he who wants nuts must not be sparing of maniu'e. 



The first requisite for the planter is choice of location. It is 

 true that the nutmeg tree, aided by manure, will grow in almost 

 any soil where water does not lodge, but it makes a vast difterence 

 in the degree of success, whether the soil be originally good, or 

 poor and improved by art. The tree does not thrive in white or 

 sandy soils, but prefers the deep red and friable soils formed by 

 the decomposition of granite rocks and tinged with iron, and the 

 deeper the tinge the better. I am therefore inclined to think, 

 that iron in the soil is almost necessary for the fidl development 

 of the plant. If under the before-mentioned soil there be a 

 rubble of iron-stone at foiu^ or five feet from the surface (a very 

 common formation in Singapore), forming a natural drainage, the 



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