192 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Sept, i, 1897. 
There were 32 mutitions of customary lauds during 
the year. An area of 1,051 aci'es 2 roods 13 poles 
was demarcated at Klanang, but it was not pos- 
sible to prepare the extracts and to bring them on 
the reit roll before the end of the year ; there "'ll!, 
however, be an exceptionally large addition to the 
rent-roll in 1897. To enable' land work in this_ dis- 
trict to be brought up to date and in accordance 
wilh the new instructions issued a special clerk for 
land work is required. The new settlers atlxlanang 
are almost exclusively Javanese, who form our best 
colonists, and are still the pioneers of planting in 
localities yet unprospected by Europeans. 
PllOGEESS OF CULT1V.\TI0N. 
Coffee.— C offee is still the rage among native 
Settlors, and during the year the whole of the road- 
side as far as Morib, nearly ten miles, has with a 
few niiiinportaiit gaps been taken up for the pre- 
vailing coffee-ciiltiii o, wliicb is rapidly converting this 
part of the district into one vast garden. 
It is an especi.ally healthy sign that many of the 
proprietors of bright green patches of lalang by the 
road-side have at length awoke to the fact that their 
property has a value, and have coniniencecl to cultiv.ate 
it. The demand for land has been growing percepti- 
bly brisker for some time po.st, and an acre of coftee 
at Klanaiig now realises something not verj’ far shoit 
of Klang prices. 
In October I received on a single day .38 applications 
from Chinese for land at Tanjoug Duablas, whilst in 
December I received also on a single day 14 applica- 
tions from Malays for laud at Telok Gqujeng, a portion 
of the big island opposite .Jugia, which has hitherto 
been occupied solely by Sakeis. 
As an example of the universal coffee-fev^r, I may 
remark that near Sepaiig there is a small plot of ground 
which some Sakeis have starlud to plant, and ouwi ich 
they have built the small thatched hamlet in which 
they reside. . - , .u .. 
Peppeu and Oambiee. — Cultivation of botn tnese 
products has been praciically at a standstill on the 
Sepang estates owing lo the prolonged absence of the 
manager, to which reference has already been made. 
Neither pepper nor gamhier is a species of cultivation 
which it would be wise to encourage in future with- 
out making some stipulation as to the planting of 
shade-trees. , . - t 
Coconuts.— The area taken up for this form ot 
cultivation has not increased _ during the year, 
though there is no reason why it should not do so, 
the soil near Morib being especially well adapted 
to this form of cultivation. Some of the best coconuts 
I have seen in the State are to be found close to 
the sandy beach at Morib, and there must be at 
least 30 or 40 miles of sandy coast in the district 
on wliieh they would flourish exceedingly. 
REPORT ON ULU LANGAT DISTRICT, STRAITS) 
FOR THE YEAR 1896. 
Land and Agriculture.— A great demand has 
sprung up tor agricultnral land in the Kajang iiiukim 
dne, tn a' great extent, to the advent of the railway, 
which has also had a marked effect on the 
of town lands, vacant building lots having risen 100 
and l.'iO per cent, in value during the past twelve 
months. About 80 per cent, of the customary Ja^nd 
applied for during the year has been selected lor 
the purpose of Liberian-coifee cultivation and prac- 
tically nothing else in the shape of pennanent crops 
is receiving attention in any part of the district. 
Further impetus has been given to this form of 
agriculture by the influx of more European capital, 
sfx blocks of 320 acres each having been alienated to 
European planters during the earlier part of the year. 
The total area under cultivation on all estates niider 
European management amounted, at the clo,Je of the 
year, to about 1,2U0 acres. 
WILD animals in SELANGOR. 
Mr. Walter 1). Scott, Acting District Officer, Kula, 
Selangor, reports ; — One tiger, four panthers and 180 
crocodiles;>ere killed during the year, the rewards 
for which "amounted to |256"25 
REPORT ON ULU SELANGOR DISTRICT, STRAITS, 
FOB THE YEAR 1896. 
Land and Agriculture. — 3,92.5 acres of customary 
lauds were given out as compared with 1,644 in 1895. 
The average price at which customary lands changed 
hands was $25 58 an acre. The average price in 
1895 was '|18'2T, ai.d this increase is I think one of 
the most satisfactory signs of progress and prosperity 
I ha\e to record. At present there are only two 
estates, both of 320 acres, held under title. Three 
more of a like area are in process of alienation. 
Of the two held under title one, at Batang Kali, 
belongs to Messrs. W. Meikle and H. A. Ilamerton, 
and was originally taken up in 1S94. A consider- 
able portion of this estate is now planted with c offee. 
The other, held under permit by Mr. .1. Pasq.ial, is 
now fully planted up with coffee. Eour other blocks, cx- 
tendingtoaii areaof 160 acrees, have been applied for, but 
pending survey it has not been found possible to issue 
titles for them. Nearly all the lands opened duiiiig 
the year have been planted with coffee. I am agree 
ably surprised to note how clean and clear of weeds 
the large mr.jority of native coffee gardens are. It 
would probably be a great benefit to cultivators and 
Goveiiiment alike were there an officer available who 
had a good knowledge of coffee cultivation, cviid who 
could be spared to go round all the native holdings 
and give advice. I find that most of the cultivators 
are only too anxious to he iurtincted. One liecu-s a 
good deal against the native practice of pluntiug 
padi and other tuixiliary crops amongst their coffee 
during tlie first year or two, and it is occasionally 
reconimr-nded that this should be altogether prohi- 
bited, but to prohibit it is to prohibit a number of 
new' setilers planting coffee at all, as there are very’ 
few native immigiaiits who came to the country 
with sufficient capital to live on until tlieir ccjffee 
plantations come into bearing. Under instructions 
from the Government I held a meeting, on 6th June, 
of all the penghuliis in the district to discuss what 
could be done to encourage and increase the cultivation 
of padi. They all seemed very anxious to see more 
padi planted and suggested many inigation schemes 
with this object. I have no doubt th.it the cultiva- 
tion of padi could be very largely incicasen. but the 
Government must be prepared to allow (1) a con- 
siderable sum for irrigation works, (2) seeunly against 
disturbance by miners, and (3) a sufficient laud office 
staff to supervise operations. 
BKITISH CENTRAL AFRICA COFFEE. 
We have received from Mr. Diincan (of Messrs. H, J. 
Gardiner A Co.) some statistics of the past season’s 
coffee crop. The best price ever obtained for B. C. A. 
coffee was in the past year, viz., 114s 6d, obtained by 
the firm of Buchanan Brothers for several parcels of 
peaberry. The average price of the ivhole crop con- 
signed to Messrs. Gardiner & Co., was ±'86 6 8. The 
highest average price got by any one shipper was 
obtained by Mrs. A. Waller, viz., ±97 6 8. On the 
whole, Mr. Duncan considers that this ear’s figures 
ate distinctly good when compared with the result.s 
from other countries. 
Mr. Duncan states that they are looking forw'ard to 
a large crop this year, and if it is despatched early 
enough to reach London in time to be sold in October, 
it should again fetch splendid prices. — B. C.A. Oa~.etie. 
June 15. 
^ 
TEA PICKERS IN FORMOSA. 
Betiveen April and August tea picking constitutes 
one of the sights in Taihoku (Taiiie). Just as in 
the interior of Japan, the tea pickers are girls and 
women, all of the lower cla.sses. Generally girls 
constitue six-tenths, married women three- tenths, and 
uiimarried women and chi'dieii one-tenth. In one 
respect the Formosan tea-pickers surpass their sisters 
in Japan proper. In every tea district in the interior 
whether in Shizuoka and Uji, or in Yokohama and 
Kobe, the tea pickers are not remarkably careful 
