464 
fHF Tf^OPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[January i, 1892. 
as final transplanting, I may as well here expUin 
whst I mean by that subslance, this earth when well 
prt'pareil is <juite black, friable and purge nt of smell, 
containing potais and abundant small portions ot 
charcoal. It is emii ently U'efiil in all kinds of 
cultivation, rendering friable I he clay and afFurding 
carbonic acid to llie plants. TheChiiKse with good 
rcarmi place much dependence upon it as a tnariirc, and 
most of them know very well how to make it, but un- 
fortunately it cannot be made in every locality as ib 
reqnireea very large quantity of firtwood to prepare it 
properly, and is only leally good when made of tho 
peaty subhtance that foinis the lop surlaco of all the 
bottoms between the hills that spread over nearly the 
whole !►! ioJ of Singapoio. This manure may be Dselefs 
from two caUROS, either if over burned when it turns r» d 
and is tifete, or if not sufficiei tly burned, when it will 
be filled with chips and portions of unburned wood aud 
become a source of attraction to the white ants, by no 
means desirable visitant’. Tho earth fo soon as pre*- 
pared ought to be placed under sheds until nquired for 
use, otherwise it loses much of its stimulsting pro- 
pertit s, particularly if exposed to heavy rains. 
The rfanter having set out nil his trees must not 
deem his labours coraplrted, they are only com* 
menciDg. To arrive thus fur is simple and eisy, but 
to patiently watch and tend tho trees for ten years 
after, requires all the enthusiasm already 'meutioned. 
About fhreo months after planting out, the young 
trees will leceive great benefit if a sdirII nnantity 
of liquid fish manure he given them. In tlie first 
six years they ought to be trenched rour d three times, 
enlsrgiug the circle cath time, the trenches being 
dugclofc to theextromiliei of the roots which generally 
correspond to the ends if the branchos, and each 
new trench comimneing where tJio old one terminated, 
they must of course greatly inert ase in nza aa the 
circle extends, requiring a proportionate quantity of 
msnnre, but the depth ought never to be less than 
two feet. The object in trenching is to loosen tho 
soil and permit the roots to sprend, otherwise tho 
tree spindles iusteiui of becomiiiR broad aud umbrage- 
ous. This ojuTdtion might with much bent fit he 
performed ©re tho roots arrive at the outer rim of 
the already prepared Foil, iustend of fhe usual phn 
of waiting until they penetrate Ihc unloosened earth, 
by which many of the roots are ncceAsarily obliged 
to ha cut ftud iho tree thereby checked for some 
months. The preornt plan ol mftiiuring has invariably 
this effect, aud might be altorc'd wiili decided advan- 
tage, for it cau never benefit a tree ti cut and 
deitroy the extremities of the rcots by which it 
is mainly supported. Were the trenches therefore 
made in an advance of tho roots it would he a very 
great improvimout in the cultivation. Ae tlie trenches 
are now dug for tbe purpose of manuring, the usual 
mode is to throw into the bottom of the trench all 
the grass that can be colleeled, covered by a layer 
of earth, HlUng up the rcniMindcr with manure and 
oirth well miiod, part of which ought to bo used 
for top dresi-ing having previously scraped away tho 
surface soil so as just to exposo tin* extreoniies of Ibe 
roots. In time ihe circles extending, will at last 
meet and tho whole of the ground having been by 
that *time gene over, the fries ought to completely 
cover the ground and tip dressing will then aufiico. 
This latter would at all times bo the most economical 
mode ot tnanutiug, and might be given after every 
heavy crop, but ss I before meiitiom d it is e^sen* 
tislly necessary to loofen the whole (f tho grouufl, or 
tho thick fibions loot of tbe nutmeg cannot pierce 
through, and the plant will be stunted. Some persons 
apply their manure fresh from tbe stable or cow yard. 
There is no question that fresh maniiro enriches ground 
more then that which has undergone perfect decim- 
pasitioD, but unlortunatoly fresh manure when brought 
into tonlact with the root® of the treo destroys them, 
the ends b ockeu aud decay, aud in this state, if tliore 
be white ants in tho ground, they very soon attack 
and kill it altogether. Manure io beyond all other 
considerations the n ost important to tho welfare of 
anestoto; it is that which gives quantity and quality 
of produce, and without it a plantation cannot bo 
carried on. The want of it must limit the cultivation 
in the Straits, and will yet bring up many a planter, 
who having got his plantation to look well up to 
tbe eighth year with very little manure, thinks he 
can go in the same maunor. Hut trt os gruws readily 
up to the 7ih or 8th year; — it is then fhst really 
good cultiva'iou begins to tell, »nd, even with tho best 
care, tri'ca receive a check upon their first ehewiiig 
fruit, but ilo hkilful Pi&nler about this period will 
redouble all his energies, knowing that be in near 
to his reward, and will lose it entirely if he omits 
to do so. The tiitroeg t^ee likes well all sorts of man- 
ures, but that which is hist for it seems to be tho well 
rotted stable and cow yard manuro mixed widi vegeta- 
ble matter, and wben tho trees is in tearing the outer 
covering of the nut itself is about one of the very 
l>G8t things to bo thrown into tbe dung pl*^. Dead 
animals buried not tco near the roots are very accep- 
table to the tr* es, also hi od, fi^li and the oil cake 
imported from Java, but the griatly Iniided manure 
of the preso't day, (Juano, I decidedly object to. 
Having tried several tons of it, I Mn of opinion that 
it is the least heneficial substanoe tbnt can bo given 
to tho nutmeg lieo. It ctrtairly caust's the tree to 
asswnio a deeper lint cr foliage and at fir t to throw 
out young slioot’*, but there seems to come a very 
iinpb'nsvnt reiction afterwards, aud I am luclinod 
to Ihiiik the quality of the produce U deteriorated; 
at least such is my rouviction on the subject that 
I shall never try it as manure again. With respect 
to the best mod<? of preparing aud ki eping tnanure 
T am disposed to the plau of placing it iu pits, 
although in Europe atai'king it in hraps is I btliove 
gcneridly preterred, but our climate here is so desic- 
cating that manure thus exposed W’ill lose too much 
of its moisture to ferment properly, and the loss will 
also be much greater. Besides if it bo not required 
for immediate uee, it keeps much bettor in a pit 
covered over by a coating of earth to prevent eva* 
portation. Wben required for use it ought neither 
to be too dry nor wet, the best state is that ofan 
homogeni ous black paste. Equal parts of this sub- 
stance and burned earth, such as already described, 
is the stulf to produce nutmegs, and he that uses 
most will get mo4. Slovenly cultivation is tbe most 
expensive in the end, and by far the least satisfactory . 
Tin Mining in Tkiiak. — In the report on tho 
Einta district for September, we have first an account 
of an '* amok” as follows 
On the 3ri a Malay named Puteb Jafar stabbed bis 
wife, brother-in-law, and brother at Ohiimor. The 
fiist two died within a few days. Puteh Jafsr was ar- 
rested at ouoo and handed over to the Police ; he ac- 
knowledges the crime, but gives no reason for it ex- 
cept that be had fever at the time. 
Then comes notice of a rush into tin mining : — 
On tho 9th I visited the village of Marabang di Awau, 
ill Kasnpar, on tbe Dipaug-Xapsh read, which has 
during the last two months grown from a little cluster 
of huts into a large aud llouriahing mininc village with 
si ops iu It. It has been laid out by the Assistant 
Penghulu Imam Praug Jebetumun in 60 ft, streets 
withtbe usual blocks of teu 20 ft. buildiug lots, and is 
now one of the nio^t thriving places in Kinta. There 
has been a regular rush into this part of Kainpar,and 
over 1,000 acres of mining laud have been taken np in 
tbe neigbbonrl o^d of the now village. Such mines as 
have been opeued show very good prosjects, especially 
that lately opened by Mr. Cologan for the French 8o- 
C'c'6 dcB Kthiu. Tho pro^r* sa made lately in thu 
mukim of Kampar has been oztraordiuary, and, from 
Iho most biickwnrd xuiikim iu Kinta, it is fast becoming 
one of the most proFueroua. 
Again :~ 
Mr. Ortlepp, who is locking after tbe Mcngtcmha 
Lode Company’s cooceesion, has supplied mo withpar- 
ticalars of the sale of the last shipment of Icde ore 
which the company made to England. 100 tons of tbe 
ore contained per cent ot oxide of tin aud 25 per 
cent of arsenic, and realized £7 lOs a fo ». This is a 
viry satisfactory resu’t, aud promises well fer the 
future of Jode-miuing in the country. 
Tbe tin and charcoal duty for the month amounted 
io $42,912 94. 
