TITE ARECA OR BETEL VINB, &C. 



The tree is raised from aeed. Four hundred should 

 l*r? planted (after reaching a fool in height in the imp- 

 sen) on one orlong of land, at 12 leel asunder and 

 kept clear of jungle and talking. Which may be done 

 twice a y\ir. Some rrees hear at the fourth year, 

 hut five may he allowed. The expense of cultivating 

 100 or longs, until the tree bears well, may be estimate 



ed as follows : — 



100 orbngs of land 1,100 



40,000 plants 50 



Clearing" and planting. . • . 400 



Cultivating for 5 years 1,000 



foci dental and losses 200 



Quit-rent (average) , 250 



Total, Spanish dollars, 3,000 



Each tree, in giod hearing, yields on an average, 

 six bunches of from 100 to 150 tints, each, yearly. 

 The highest price is 3 cents ffl 100 nuts; the lowest 2 

 cents. Therefore, assuming ihe I > west of these rales, 

 the yearly produce value would be 4,800 Spanish 

 dollars, or 2 Sp. dollars the koti or laksa (10,000) 

 which is the usual native mode of computing. 



N1PAII AND OTHER PALMITES. 

 The JYipah is a low species of palm, (uypa fruetU 

 cans) which grows in marshy situations near the sea* 

 shore and principally on the hanks of ri\ ers and creeks. 

 In the latter situations, its stein and half of the shoots 

 and leave-; an- covered vwih Mater at even flow of the 

 tide. It is found abundantly, and interspersed with tail 

 trees and low shrubs, in the Ootan bttkau or mangrove 

 belt, \>hich lines a great portion of Hie coasts both of 

 Penang and Province Wellesley, It is a valuable 

 palm. From it the .Malays extract a saccharine juice, 

 or nira which, when quite fresh, is pleasant to th c 



