178 
THE TROPICAL AGEIGULTUEIST. 
[Sept, 1. 1902. 
PLANTING IN THE STRAITS : COCO- 
NUTS. 
We are in receipt; (raiher late in the clay ?) of 
the minutes of the annual f/eneral meeting of 
the United Planters' Association, F M S, hek) at 
the Selangor C!ub, Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday, 
3rd May. Present , — Messrs. E "V Carey (Chair- 
man), t H Hill, C Meikle, W K Rowland, E B 
Prior. P W Parkinson, J G Classlord, O P. Pfen- 
ningwerth, JMHalliday, A M Barnwell, A Irring, 
H M Darby, M S Parry, E B Skinner, Visitor : 
—Mr J L Anstriither. By Proxy :— S Moorhouse. 
The only matter of interest to us is tlie following 
in regard to coconuts : — 
Coconut Beetlb. — The following resolution was 
proposed by Mr C Meilile and seconded by Ml" H 
!M Darby : — " That the conditio ' of the coconut cul- 
tivation is seriously endangered by the ravages of the 
coconut beetle and that the Government be asked 
to take such steps as will eradicate the pest as far 
as possible." Mr Meikle saidtha' the condition of 
the trees in Kuala Lumpur and Klang was disgrace- 
ful and he thought the sooner Government started to 
adopt stringent measures the better it would be. Mr 
Darby said that the beetles down at Klang were very 
bad amongst trees ranging from 18 months to 2.i years 
old and in many cases trees were riddled by them. 
He had already reported to Government that a coco- 
nut estate belonging to Tamils was. badly infested 
■with the beetles. Ha considered that it would be best 
for Government to appoint special inspectors to go 
round, instead of doing it through the Penghulus. Mr 
Prior also attested to the bad condition of trees in 
Klang. Ml Parry suggested thit if, after the matter 
has been reported to the District Government repre- 
ientative, no steps are taken in the matter, the com- 
pKinant should then appeal direct to the Resident. 
Mr Rowland said that he had a coconut estate in 
Negri Sembilan, but so far had not discovered any 
beetles on it. Mr Hill stated that when Mr Birch 
was Resident in Negri Sembilan the Negri Sembilan 
Planters' Association had approached him on the state 
of the coconut beetle and that steps were at once 
-taken by Government to control the pest with the 
result that there are very few places there now suffer- 
ing from beetles. Mr Halliday suggested that owners 
of trees attacked by beetles who do not take immedi- 
ate steps to clear them, should be fined as they are 
in Singapore. The Chairman said that Government 
would be only too pleased it planters would report 
places which were known to be infested with beetles, 
The resolution was carried unanimously. 
CASTOR OIL MANUFACTURE. 
Up to the present nothing has been done locally 
in the way of extracting oil from the castor nil plant. 
Briefly, the operations of oil extraction are by ex- 
pression, by boiling with w!>„ter, or by the agency of 
■ilcohol. A comparatively simple process can be tried 
by anyone interested, and a good oil should result if 
the seed is of the right variety. 
Firat, cleanse the seeds from fragments of the husks 
Bnd from dust, and submit them to a gentle heat, but 
not greater than can be borne by the hand, which pro- 
oeas makes the oil more fl lidand more easily expressed, 
A whitish, oily flui^ is thus obtained, which is boiled 
with a large quantity of water, and all impuri lea 
are skimmed off as they rise to the surface ; the water 
dissolves the mucilage and starch, and the albumen 
is c agulated by the heat, thus forming a layer 
betvreen the oil and the water ; the clear oil is then 
removed and boiled with a small qu ntity of water 
until aqueous vapour ceases to rise, and a email ijuan- 
tity taken out in a phial remains perfectly transparent 
and cool. 
The effect of this ig to clarify the oil and rid it 
of volatile acid matter. Care is necessary not to carry 
the heat too far, 'as the oil would acquire a brownish 
colour and an acid taste. In India the seed is first 
shelled and then crushed between rollers, placed in 
hempen cloths and pressed. The oil is afterwards 
heated with water in a tin boiler until the water 
boils. This serves to separate the mucilage and 
albumen, the product being then strained through 
flannel and put into canisters. Any oil-press would 
suffice for extracting oil for ordinary purposes, and 
by decanfcatiou and some process of filtration it could be 
purified. Cheap wooden rollers would serve the pur- 
pose, and these conld be driven by a horse-gear, after 
the fashion of driving the old horse-mills for crush- 
ing Buga,r-caue. — Queensland Agricultural Journal. 
RUBBER PLANTING IN THE MALA- 
YAAN PENINSULA AND BRITISH 
NORTH BORNEO. 
A little while ago Mr. H. K. Rutherford 
pressed us to try and obtaia statistics of the 
area planted in Rubber in the Straits, &c. 
It is a difficult matter to do so as there 
are so many different States and Districts 
embraced in the Malay Peninsula. But from 
the returns .a;iven in the Singapore and Straits' 
Directory for 1902 which has just reached 
us, we venture to compile the following 
figures, simply as a rough approximation : — 
District. Area under Rubber, 
B.N. Borneo ... About 100 acres 
JOHORE ... „ 200 ,, 
Neori Sembilan ,, 678 „ 
Perak ... 540 „ 
Province VVellesley .. ,, 100 ,, 
Selangoe .. „ 2,926 „ 
Total 4,544 ,. 
This is against 3,358 acres in Ceylon. But 
our local returns are far more to be relied 
on, than the guesses we have applied to tne 
estates in the Straits, &c. It should be the 
duty of the Selangoi.- Piuiiters' Association to 
collect reliable returns of the actual extent 
of Rubber planted on each garden or estate, 
and so to correct the figures which we venture 
to put forward above. 
THE LITTLE TIN TICKET. 
Ramasamy, come hither, I've something to aay 
About the new system, the Government way 
Of travelling free o£ all fuss and delay 
With a numbered and lettered tin ticket. 
Ton will find it will save you from bother and loss 
Whenever you wish the ' black water ' to cross. 
And you need not be cheated wherever you doss, 
If you've only a little tin ticket. 
It ia not exactly a ' circular note,' 
But will bring you back free on the railway and boat 
You may pay for your betel — for food not a groat : 
That is done by the little tin ticket. 
Kanganies will hoax you with charges for food. 
They will take you to places whose names are not goodi 
And many false items your bill may includcj 
I£ yon have not a tittle tin ticket. 
Whenever you leave your beloved estate 
Take one of these tickets across the dark strait, 
It will help your return at a wonderful rate, 
This little tin Government ticket, 
You coma to the depot : the pass lets you in, 
But not like the robbers of Tuticorin, 
Who would steal from the dying : their sygtei^ of ain 
la checked by the little tin ticket. 
