VIII 
PEPPERS 
261 
covered the leaves and branches, while plants farther 
apart were unhurt. I have seen a similar attack on 
coffee plants growing too near the forest edge and 
similarly shaded, so that after rain the sun could not 
reach them sufficiently strong, or for a sufficiently long 
time to dry them. The pepper wants full light and 
sun on it, and in case of very shaded localities it is 
advisable to plant wider apart. But, as a rule, 6 ft. 
apart allows space for sun and air, and gives enough 
room for the planter to move about among the vines. 
The ground is left for three weeks to dry when the 
drains are made. The ground round the sticks is well 
dug and broken up to the depth of 1 ft. The soil 
is well mixed with burnt earth and charcoal, and raised 
to a mound about 18 in. high, when the stake is 
inserted in its place. 
Planting out . — When the cuttings or seedlings in 
the nursery are ready for planting out, or when the 
ground and supports are ready, the plants may be 
put in place. This is usually done in Borneo and the 
Straits Settlements in January during the wet monsoon. 
In Bombay pepper is planted in August, but the date 
of planting in any given locality depends entirely on the 
period of the wet season. The cuttings when short are 
arranged in the soil at an angle of 45 degrees or there- 
about, so that the top presses against the support. In 
the case of a cutting which has two branches the fork is 
pressed against the support so as to clasp it. The Chinese 
put the cuttings facing the east. One to four cuttings 
are planted to each stake. 
After watering, the plants have to be shaded from 
the sun, by fern fronds or bunches of lalang grass, or 
boughs of trees. 
Within a week or so after planting each vine receives 
an application of burnt earth, a few handfuls at a time, 
and this application is continued every four months. 
Semmler (Tschirch, Heil- und Nutzpfianzen) de- 
scribes a Sumatran method of pepper cultivation as 
follows. The plants are cultivated in rice fields, which 
