VIII 
PEPPERS 
311 
each slip having a hardwood stick about 2 or 3 ft. long near 
it to cling to. At the same time, they plant out in the field 
the supporting trees, called in Malay dedup, at intervals of 6 ft. 
each way, which are allowed to grow one year before transplant- 
ing the pepper plants from the nursery near them, which plants 
are, of course, then also one year old. In that time the dedup 
tree grows from 12 to 16 ft. high. Then holes are made 1 ft. 
square, and the same depth, prepared as Mr. Dobree describes, 
near each tree, in which they plant the cuttings taken from the 
nursery. Only one plant is put in each hole. They do not 
make a small mound round each vine, as Mr. Dobree says the 
Chinese do at Singapore. No manure at all is used. 
The vines of three years’ growth in the field yield their first 
small crop. Two years after, they are in full bearing, yielding 
an average of 3J catties per vine of dry black pepper. An acre 
contains one thousand two hundred (1,200) vines, yielding at 
this rate forty-two (42) pikuls. This greatly exceeds Mr. 
Dobree’s account of the returns at Singapore, although manure 
is used there and not at Arra Kudah. 
The pepper is gathered about the middle of the year, and is 
dried by being spread out on the ground exposed to the sun and 
wind, fire not being used. 
He did not know the difference of weight between green 
and dry pepper, but thinks it is not nearly so great as described 
by Mr. Dobree. 
To make white pepper, they bury thoroughly ripe black 
pepper in damp ground for five days, when they take it up. 
By that time the skin is rotted, which is washed off and the 
corns then dried in the sun. 
I did not inquire the cost of cultivation, to compare with 
Mr. Dobree’s estimate, as nothing reliable could be learnt on 
this point, and would be most likely misleading rather than 
otherwise. No doubt it is much less costly to the Achinese 
here than to the Chinese in Singapore. 
The above is all the information I could obtain without 
visiting Arra Kudah, which I hope will be sufficient for your 
purpose. — Yours sincerely, 
H. De Moenay. 
(^Straits Settlements Government Gazette, 15th August 1884.) 
Literature 
Barber. “Varieties of Cultivated Pepper.” Dept. Agile., Madras, iii. 56. 
Nair, C. P. K. Tropical Agriculturist, 1906, p. 562. 
Hewitt, J. C. Agricultural Bulletin Straits Settlements, vii. 189. 
Derry, R. “ Trang Pepper.” Agric. Bull. Straits Sett. viii. 240. 
