April 1, 3899.] THK TROPICaL AGUICUT.TUPJBT. 
715 
(6) PABA RUB BEK.— Probably no more important 
evidence, that planters are at last realizing the fnti- 
lity of risking their all on any one product, has been 
afforded during the past year than the energy with 
which large areas have been planted up with para 
rubber. Had it not been for the shipments of seed 
which were received from Ceylon, operations would 
have been considerably restricted, as the local supply 
was nothing like sufficient to meet the demand. The 
vitality of para seed is so dependent upon immediate 
plantiog that it was feared the long journey from 
Ceylon would prevent a large proportion of the seeds 
from germinating ; happily, however, where proper 
precautions were taken, from 50 to 60 per cent, of 
plants resulted on an average from the Ceylon seed, 
and in consequences this product, which does so well 
here, and which has to all appearance so prosperous 
a future before it, has become established in the 
State with every prospect of large extensions in the 
coming season. The young plants are reported 
on all sides to be growing satisfactorily, but on 
most places heavy losses have been occasioned by rats, 
lizards, mole crickets and other pests, and the pro- 
blem now to be solved is, how to best stave off such 
attacks until the plants are able to take care of 
themselves. Your Committee, therefore, hope that 
members will communicate to the Association parti- 
culars of any experiments that have been attended 
with successful results. 389,500 Para Rubber trees 
have been planted in Selangor during 1898, 
(c) COCONUTS— A large number of coconuts also 
have been planted by Europeans during the past year, 
mostly through coffee 40 feet apart, and good reports 
of gfowth are to hand, especially from the Coast dis- 
tricts. In the Ulu, white ants have done a great deal 
of damage to the young plants, in one case a clearing 
of over 80 acres having had to be completely replanted 
three times, nothing short of a liberal application of 
tar apparently sufficing to keep the ants at a distance, 
lu Kuala Selangor, a well-eqipped oil mill is now 
working, and is stated to be turning out a fine quality 
of oil and excellent coconut poonac. 800 coconuts 
have been planted on Selangor Estates during 1898. 
(d) RAMIE. — On most estates in the Klang district 
ramie nurseries are to be fouud, and m Kuala Langat 
the "Ratnie Syndicate" are experimenting and will 
shortly have machinery at work. In the absence of 
any statistics of cost of production this cultivation 
is, however, attracting little local attention, but wide- 
epread regret has been expressed at the untimely 
death of Mr. J M MaoDonald, which occurred in 
Singapore in the early part of this year. Mr. Mao 
Donald was one of the patentees of the " MacDonald 
Boyle" process of extracting ramie fibre from t.'^ie 
raw stems; ho was a firm believer in the gieat 
future before this product in the M ilay Peniu.iuli, 
and in conjunction with the Sultan of Johore was 
ca'.rying ou m that State an experiment of sufficient 
iiia"nitud6 to demonstrate clearly whbther the 
industry was one in which the public might profitably 
'"f"' MINOR PRODUCTS.— A considerablj acreage 
his baeu brought under plantations on twoestatesin 
Klang, and it appears probable that far mjre attention 
will, in futuie, bo paid to catch crops generally in con- 
junction with permansnt products, than has hitherto 
been the case. This is a niatter which yonr Committee 
consider well worthy of serious consideration. An 
object lesson is afforded in the customs of the people 
of the couutry, wlio aided by th'j produce from the few 
badly planted and badly tended fruit trees in their 
small gaidens, manage with ihoir wives and families 
III t only so support existence, but in many eases 
to attain their ideal, — a life of absolute idleiie-js. 
What is possible on a small .scale for thou.Han.ls of 
natives, even tuoU'j;h the ultimate object hi not the 
sam3, shoukl be equally leasibla ou wider lines for a 
comparatively simill community of Europeans. The 
sueciissfiil cullivdlion of catch crops moans a pro- 
pjrlio'ialo reduction in the capital cost of estates, 
.when the I'jini uient pro Uicts b gin to be remunera- 
tive, au<l a less severe loss to face in times of 
depression 
CURRENCY.— A i-equest having been received from 
the Sejrelary to the Oovernment, that your Asso- 
ciation would give their view.s upon a resolution 
passed by the Singapore Chamber of Commerce to 
the effect lhai " Fixity of exchange with gold countries 
on the basis of 2s per dollar is desirable in the general 
interests of the Colony" the following resolution 
which was carried unanimously at x general meeting of 
your Associaiion on the ISih June, was forwarded in 
reply. " That in the opinion of this Association any 
action having for its object fixity of exchange is un- 
desirnble in the interest of the planting community. 
CURING ESrABLISHlIBNT AT KLANG.— The 
want of a store to whieh planters could send their parch 
ment to be peeled having been supplied by Messrs. Bar- 
ow&Co's cueing est ablishment inSingapore, and there 
being apparently no disposition on the pare of any of 
the Ceylon or other firms who were approached, to 
start in Klang, this project has, for the present, 
been abandoned. On several properties stores have 
been erected during the year, and it now appears pro- 
bable that if estates are to join issue in connection 
with the curing of their coffee, it will be a matter 
rather of private arrangement than of any combi- 
nation under the auspices of the Association. 
COCONUT TREES l-RESERVATION OR- 
DINANCE. — At the instance of your Asso- 
ciation the Government have introduced an 
ordinance which, though somewhat drastic 
in certain of its provisions, cannot fail, if 
intelligently carried out, to be of great benefit to the 
coconut industry. La.-ge numbers of beetle infested 
trees have been cleared in the various districts, 
and, when too far gone, have been cut down. The or- 
dinance provides for the prompt burial to a depth of 
three feet, or destruction by fire ; of all such trees, but 
it is questionable whether sufficient attention is being 
paid to this important point. The notice of the Gov- 
ernimnt has, however, been drawn to the matter, and 
your Committee would impress upon all members, 
whether interested in coconuts themselves or not, the 
necessity for at once reporting to District Officers any 
negligence which they may observe on the part of 
the native headmen, vvh.i a.e supposed to see that the 
work is properly done. The Government have been 
prompt in t iking steps to eradicate the beetle, audit 
is the duty of all planners to co-operate and endeavour 
to get the fall benefit of the assistance which has been 
extended to us. 
DELUGATES TO JAVA.-With the object of com- 
paring our inetho.ls with those in vogue on estates in 
Java, your Association decided upon recommending the 
U. P. A. tjssuitwo representatives to that country 
towards the end of the year, the idea was, however, 
given up so far as thj S, P. A. was concerned upon 
the advice of a gentleman resident there, as savourmg 
too much of an official arrfjigeinent. 
RETAILSALESOFCOFfEE.— Thelow prices which 
our coffee has been fetching, without, as far a» we hava 
been able to ascertain, any appreciable corresponding 
advanta,Ke to the consurnir, has naturally led plantarg 
to consider the possibility of supplying the public with 
the prepared article " direct from the plantations" 
and appropriating to thumielves some of the profits ot 
the middleman. 
LABOUR. — -The Government took steps during last 
year to Btimula';e the immigration of Indian labour 
by subsidizing the BIS S Co. and providing cheap 
passages : several planters availed themselves of this 
opportunity of getting coolies over, but the regular 
recruiting season was past before the system was 
generally understood, and during the later months 
of the year i', is almost an impossibility to persuade 
coolies to leave InJia, as thoy are iiU getting their 
p iddy fields real, for planting. The B I Service 
was only sub-;idiz3d for a year and therefore the 
coolies who are coming in on Miy and June, will 
not ben -fl'. by the rodu -ed ratai. It rum.mred that 
both in Perak and S uigei Ujong the Government h iva 
recently imported T imil CO )lies, but none hive c jma 
to Selangor. The priee of tin has risen to such • 
point that little Chinese labour is availablo for esta(o 
work, and it is reported that even Tamils aro now 
