420 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
there. The process of cleaning is slow, and the 
labour most harassing. It is fiist run through hand 
sieves to separate tlie paddy from the grain. The 
paddy is first run through a machine made of wood, 
shaped not unlike a set of millstones, both sawn 
froma log about three feet in diameter. Into the face 
of the under block, and flush with it, is let a circular 
stone of a diameter to lea.ve a five-inch rim of wood. 
This stone is opposed to an opening or eye in the 
upper block of a like diameter, into which is fitted a 
Perforated board. The opposing surfaces of the two 
locks are cut into grooves three-eighths of an inch 
wide, one-fourth of an inch in depth, and about the 
same distance apart, the intervening ridges of wood 
being carefully trimmed about every three hours, in 
order to be kept sufficiently sharp. The upper block 
is dragged round by means of a hook at the end of 
a wooden handle fastened to a staple driven into the 
rim, a single workman turning it and, at the same, 
feeding the machine by throwing the paddy with a 
wooden paddle into the eye, from which it is distributed 
outw.ixd by the centrifugal force. This breaks and 
loosens the husk from the kernel, after which it is 
run through a fanning mill, constructed with about 
the same regard to mechanics as the rudimentary 
machines described above. The grain, divested of 
husk, is now ready for the scouring process, which 
is done in stone mortars, holding about a bushel. 
These are set into stonework level with the floor, at 
an angle of about .30 degrees, twenty or more being 
distributed about, according to the size and shape of 
the room. A wooden framework is built over the 
mortars in such a way that a stone pestle, weighing 
twenty-five pounds, fixed to a beam pressing over a 
fulcrum, is rapidly dropped upon the grain. This is 
accomplished by a workman, who steps quickly upon 
the short end of the lever, and as quickly removes 
hia weight when the pestle has been elevated to the 
highest point. The number of strokes considered 
rlecessary for this part of the process varies with the 
kind of rice, from two to four thousand. Ashes made 
from rice husks, to the amount of one-fourth of a pound, 
are added to each mortar of grain at the beginning of 
the pounding, and a second time when the pounding 
is half finished, the rice by this time having become 
quite warm. It is now taken from the mortar to be 
sifted, after which it is replaced for foot-scouring, 
ashes being added for the third time. A bare- 
footed workman, supported from falling by reclining 
in a kind of swing, treads in the mortar, which 
causes a rapid movement of the rice. This is con- 
tinued for from thirty to forty minutes, when it is 
taken out and sifted, and is now ready for market. 
A part of the dust, composed of ashes and disin- 
tegrated rice, resulting from the scouring, is combined 
with 10 per cent, of salt and used in preserving 
vegetables. What remains is given to swine. Consul 
Simon says that, crude as these appliances are, they 
accomplish the work with the least breaking and 
crushing of the grain possible, and no doubt com- 
prise most of the principles upon which rice-cleaning 
machinery is, or should be, constructed. The rice 
merchants in Hong Kong say that owing to the 
cheapness of labour, improved machinery propelled 
by stenm, such as is in use in Bangkok and Saigon, 
would not be profitable in Hong Kong, and would 
not be permitted in China, where a vast number of 
people find, in rice-cleaning, their only means of 
earning a living. — Journal of llic Society of Arts. 
♦ 
BOENEO AS A FIELD FOR PLANTING 
JONTERPRISE. 
Having travelled through the Island of Borneo, 
and observed in the course of my peregrinations 
what was being done in the way of plantuig, a short 
account niiiy prol^ably lie of interest to planters. 
Hornoo lies in an easterly direction from Singa- 
pore, the distance being about one thousand miles. 
The climate tlirougliout tlic year is almost the same, 
vi':-, the temperature remains almost unchangeable 
(generally fi'om seventy-five to eighty degrees in the 
shade), and heavy showers of rain, not infrequently 
accompained by thunderstorms, fall every other four 
or five days, which give the atmosphere a most 
delightful freshness that never tends to make it either 
unhealthy or oppressive. Borneo is, comparatively 
speaking, a hilly country, and at an elevation gene- 
rally from four hundred to two thousand feet. Plant- 
ing is carried on principally in tobacco (coffee and tea on 
a small scale as yet;, pepper, sago and tapioca and 
various kinds of fruits. A great number of Dutchmen 
have recently obtained valuable consessions from 
the British North Borneo Company for tobacco plant- 
ing, and every year witnesses a great many people 
proceeding there — to say nothing of the large com- 
panies wbich are being continually formed to extend 
planting operations in that glorious Island. The 
Dutchmen, who are the principal planters, go in 
entirely for tobacco ; and the first shipments which 
were sent home, about four or five years ago fetched 
the highest prices of any in the 'London markets. 
The result has been that more land is sought for, 
obtained and opened up, and the profits arising 
therefrom are immense, there being no native 
competition of any kind whatever to cope with. Coffee 
has also been a great success in the Government 
plantations, which lie about one hundred miles in a 
south-easterly direction from Sandakan, the capital 
of the British North Borneo Company, which is easily 
accessible by either steamer or boat. The natives 
have purchased quantities of plants which seem to 
grow remarkably well in their gardens. They do not 
grow any coffee for exportation, but simply enough 
for their wants ; and this coffee, which they do plant, 
(Coffee Arabica) and which they do not appear to 
take pains about in cultivating, is certainly as fine as 
any I have ever tasted. 
Tea is also grown, but not to any extent, for the 
simple reason, I presume, that no tea planter has as 
yet proceeded to Borneo (at least during my stay I 
never heard of one) for the purpose of trying 
whether it could be grown profitably or not. I do 
not profess to know much about tea, but the tea 
gardens I have seen in the Straits Settlements, which 
belonged to Ceylon planters, who told me they were 
as good, if not infinitely better than any in Ceylon, 
were certainly not richer or better looking than 
those I saw in Borneo. It seemed, as far as I 
observed, that it was a matter of perfect in- 
difference whether tea or coffee was planted on the 
hills or plains as both appeared to thrive well on 
either the one or other without any trouble whatever. 
During my wanderings through the country, it was 
nothing unusual to come upon small tea gardens 
belonging to natives, all of which seemed to be 
growing up with the greatest luxuriancy and profusion. 
The natives appeared to take not the slightest trouble 
about them, and it looked as if all they had to do was 
simply to x^lant and await results. Indigo has not, as 
far as I am aware, yet been attempted, but since my 
arrival in Calcutta, I have been asked by one or two 
planters regarding the soil, &c., &c., in Borneo, and 
from what I told them they were apparently under 
the impression that it would grow well there. I 
cannot conceive any reason why indigo, tea and coffee 
should not do well in Borneo, especially from what 
I have seen of the latter two, and I think it would 
be advantageous for those planters who have the 
time to spare to take a trip to that lovely country, 
and see what it is like for themselves. As I have 
already mentioned, Dutch planters are flocking in at 
present and are making piles of money in tobacco. 
They knew nothing about what Borneo was like, till 
they tried it with the above results; and why cannot 
indigo, tea and coffee planters do the same ? The 
pepper vine, sago and tapioca are grown extensively, 
and flourish remarkably well, especially the former, 
on rich brown soils. Large concessions of land are 
easily obtained from the Company. The leases ex- 
tend to nine hundred and ninety-nine years, and the 
amount to be paid to the Government is, I forget 
the exact amount at present, trifling. 
Although the Dutch planters prefer Chinese coolies, 
whom they import, there are some twelve different 
tribes in Borneo, out of which any number of men 
