CHAP. 
120 SPICES 
Penang, and was rather expensive, costing 3 dollars for 
100 little baskets. 
These animal manures are not used in great quantity. 
Prawn-dust, which costs from 1 dollar and 80 cents 
a pikul (133 lb.), is dug into the ground once a year at 
a point just outside the spread of the branches, each tree 
receiving 10 or 12 lb. a year. It would be better, 
perhaps, either to put the manure on the ground and 
let it rot in, as the Malacca planters do with cow- 
dung, or to prick over the ground and after throwing 
in the manure, to cover it up with soil. The nutmeg 
roots high and produces such a network of roots round 
the tree that it would be impossible to dig in manure 
without injuring them. 
Mulching with cut grass and dead leaves is useful, 
and is used by the Chinese, who spread cut lalang-grass 
[Imperata cylindrica) Sit the foot of the trees and between 
them. It has the advantage of keeping down weeds, 
keeping the ground cool, and supplying as it decays a 
certain amount of food for the plant. I observed too, 
that in Province Wellesley the trees so treated were 
less attacked by the nutmeg beetles. The Chinese also 
use grass dug into trenches round the young plants, as 
described by Dr. Oxley. This, however, should be 
avoided, unless done when the plants are quite young 
and the trenches made at some distance away, so that 
the roots cannot be interfered with. In the early days 
of the plantation the weeds can be utilised in this way, 
being dug into the trenches running between the rows 
of young plants. 
Pruning is really seldom necessary, but if the trees 
take to throwing up vertical shoots among the spreading 
branches, these should be removed as early as possible. 
As the tree bleeds rather freely on being cut it is recom- 
mended, when removing large branches, to seal the 
wounds with a mixture of two parts of pounded lime and 
one of tar, applied warm. All dead branches and twigs 
and all parasitic plants, such as the Loranthi or 
mistletoes, should be removed as soon as seen. It is 
