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THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST- [May t, 1889. 
COCONUT PLANTING. 
Hapitigam Korale, 28th March 1889. 
We have had lots of rain this month : beginning on 
the first day, it has up to date rained on 12 days 
with an aggregate of 9 72 inches. 
The grass is once more green and abundant, and the 
coconuts have taken a fresh start. Many of those that 
Buffer from the disease have developed centre leaves 
without a speck, but we must not holloa till we are out 
of the wood. This seems to be exactly the same as 
the Jamaica disease, but there every tree attacked 
is said to die ultimately ; whereas here, so far as I can 
learn, no tree has absolutely died yet, and Dr. Stork 
tells me that under his treatment of trenching and 
manuring some of his trees have perfectly recovered. 
The price of coconuts last gathering has run to R30 
and over per 1,000. It is however the fate of the cooo- 
nut planter to have only the smallest gatherings for 
the highest prices; I have sold the February gathering 
for R40 when the rupee was more valuable than now, 
and have sold that of the April following for R25. 
NOTES ON PEPPEE CULTIVATION. 
(By an Old Planter.) 
Seven or eight years ago I discovered that branches 
of the pepper vine, sometimes under, favourable con- 
ditions, struck root and became plants ; but that such 
plants never f.hrew out running vines was an after dis- 
covery. Still it did not strike me, that this could be 
turned to account in cultivation, till about a year ago, 
when one of those branch plants came into bearing, and 
produced a very decent crop. It then occurred to me 
that to cultivate the plant in the form of a low bush, 
would be more convenient than any of the methods in 
common use. In growing the plant on living trees 
you can only put a plant where there is a tree, at irre- 
gular distances, not more than about 100 to the acre, 
fighting with the old established tree that supports it 
for a share of the plant food, and suffering from too 
much shade. Again, if posts be set up for the vine to 
run on, they are in the first place expensive, and in the 
second the most durable only last for a few years, 
when the whole affair tumbles down, and is not easily 
set up again. The branch plants can be put out at re- 
gular distances, say 6x6 feet, they can be easily cul- 
tivated and manured, can be pruned back as required, 
and the only other work needed is a few pegs and a 
piece of coir yarn to keep the branches from trailing ou 
the ground. The chief difficulty is at the beginning to 
get the branch to strike root, but that can no doubt 
be overcome by proper arrangements to be taught by 
experience, even the vine is by no means a ready rooter. 
That pepper requires shade is a common error; I have 
found it much more fruitful in the open than in the 
shade, but in or out of shade its cultivation will only 
be satisfactory on tolerably good soil. I understand 
that many of both natives and Europeans are trying 
this plant. It is one of the things that will pay, and 
pay well, under proper conditions of soil, climate, and 
cultivation, and I wish them all success. 
[A modification of the bush system might be 
tried after the viticulture which we saw in the 
neighbourhood of Stutgardt. One or two branches 
only of a vine were allowed tu grow, and all the 
strength of the plant went into these. When the 
branches h;i,d attained the length desired and the 
proper season had arrived, they were curled round 
bo as to resemble a hoop and then tied so as to 
compel them to retain this position. Those who 
understand the physiological laws of plants will 
understand how the branches, with the flow of their 
juices thus checked, put forth blossom and fruit at 
every pore. What gave the maximum of fruit in 
the case of grape vines might be equally successful 
in the case of pepper vines.— Ed.] 
Another practical planter reporting for a small 
clearing writeB ;— 
Pepper.— It was, I believe, decided to plant the re- 
maining forest land, aboutl2 acres, with this product ; 
all the undergrowth and small trees should be cut down 
so as to admit abundance of light, at the same time af- 
fording a moderate degree of shade. Trees to support 
from 250 to 300 vines to the acre should be retained. 
The stuff cut should, before becoming too dry, be piled 
in small heaps and burnt, care being taken to do as 
little harm as possible to the standing trees. This work 
can be done in January and February, and iu the mean- 
time a space of about one acre should al once be 
cleared in the above way, the ground dug about a mam- 
motie deep and all small and fibrous roots removed : 
stumps need not be touched. Iu this space pepper 
cuttings should be laid down about an inch apart— 12 
inches buried under the soil and six inches exposed 
thus :— 
Exposed 
Buried 
th e cuttings should be about 18 inches long and the 
branches cut from off the portions to be buried, but not 
from the portions exposed ; for the 12 acres about 
15,000 cuttings will be necessary. By May next year 
these should all have made roots and shoots, and be 
less liable to fail when planted out than if put out as 
simple cuttings ; another consideration is that there 
will be no time lost in searching for vines, which 
might be the case where so many are required. After 
the undergrowth has been cut down and burnt, holes 
should be dug at the root of each tree close up to the 
stem: one on each side, if the tree is large in girth, but 
only one if small. The holes should be 18 inches long, 
12 inches broad and 9 to 10 inches deep, all stones and 
roots removed and filled in with surface soil, any ashes 
near being mixed with it. In planting out all that por- 
tion that was underground in the nursery should be 
buried and the exposed portion laid close up to the 
stem of the tree ; two cuttings should be placed in each 
hole, a few inches apart and about 4 inches deep and 
the earth firmly trodden down. If these directions are 
carefully attended to failures will be few. I cannot too 
strongly urge the necessity for tramping down all the 
soil round plants freshly planted and of beating down 
the soil over seeds as soon as sown, it is not necessary 
here to give the scientific reason for this ; let it suf- 
fice that experience teaches that when this is not done 
many plants are sacri ed and much seed wasted. 
PEPPEE CULTIVATION IN JOHOEE. 
(From an ol Resident.) 
Black pepper is grown in Johore by the Chinese 
gambier planters who utilise the spent gambier leaves 
to manure the pepper vines. Some Europeans are 
planting pepper in Johore. The high price now obtain- 
able for this article has induced Chinese and Europeans 
in British North Borneo, Malacca, Perak, Selangor, 
Sunjei Ujong and on the island of Singapore to plant 
extensively. A few years ago it could be bought for 
$7 per picul (133§ lb.), today it fetches $20 85-100ths 
per picul. It flourishes in Johore, both soil and climate 
seems to suit the plant excellently. In the year 1886 ' 
98,074 piculs valued at $1,829,220 0 f black pepper was 
sent to Singapore from Johore and 313 piculs valued 
at $3,630 was also sent to thatport. This value must be 
a mistake because the manufactured white pepper fetches 
nearly as much again as the natural black. At present 
it is $36 per picul. The above statistics are taken from 
the Straits Settlements Blue Book for 1886. Singapore 
Exchange Market Report states that in 1883 89,936 
piculs black and 25,955 piculs white were exported 
from that port and in the year 1888 72,864 piculs of 
black and 19,172 piculs white were exported. As long 
as the war between the Dutch and the Atchinese lasts 
prices of pepper will keep up.— March, 1889. 
