484 
tuff TRdPIOAL AQRIOULtURlST. 
(Jakuary I, 1891 
snpprvision in suob case being reqaired as It is oA«y 
to see whether the gtonnd be well cleared or not, 
and the size of holoa bc'ng determioed previously, 
there can bn no dispute about the matter afterwards. 
It is surprising bow much better the Chinese work 
when they are paid by the taak rather than the day, 
and singular enough they are better ooiilcnt, wo'king 
hiirdor and earning less by the former system than 
the latter. Few labourors in tho world can equal them 
when working on their own account, but ou regular 
aagea they are moat comp'ete eye servants: they are 
however lipon the whole the best class of field 
labourers. The usual monthly pay to good strong men 
is 3 to 3J Spanish dollars por month, but those 
who have become expert at any partioular work very 
soon discover tiielr value and cannot be kept without 
an inorease of wages. Malays are to be had for 
dollars 2\ ner mnn*h, and it is wall to mix them 
with the Chiierej in making sheds for trees and all 
work where the rattan is used, they tire more expert, 
they are also more to bo trusted, and are a very 
wholesome oheok upon the vagabond fons of Han. 
Patience and temp-r are eminently necessary to get 
on with the Malay; they are not to be driven, but 
kindness and a littlebantur oocasionallv liave excellent 
effect upon them. The Boyans are tl.o most quiet, 
the most honest, and the mo.rt to be trusted of any 
of the races we see here; they are very slow and 
not over bright, hut they perform tlieir work as well 
in the absenee of tho ovetsei r as before Iiim, and they 
are by far the best nut gaiherors. The Kiings, or 
natives from the coast of Coromaiidei, are good 
workers if they choose to exert llienifolvoi, but tliey 
are the mo‘t wretched eye larvanls, and looin to de- 
liglit in chicanery of all sort* : unlike the Malay, fear 
is tbe only motive capable of exoiliinr thoiu to action, 
andthoapplic.-itiou of the Miindoor'ser SuperintendonI’s 
rattan stems the only argunicnl they uiidetsland ; they 
are chiefly valuub e iu tiikiug care of heroes or catU», 
cutlirg crass and driving caitg, all othoc woik is 
better done by Chinrso or Malayr; their wages is 
about the .'amo os rhiiiose labourers, that la from 
3 to 3J dol'srs pec mouth. 
Maiiuring, making cheds over young plants, and 
extirpating bidgrasios, are works which had bettor 
bo performed tv the regular monthly labourers on 
the estate, and indeed so pooii ns a plantati m comes 
into bearing all contract labour muat oea.se, ns by 
1 dmitliiig ttraugers the facilities for robliery woiild 
be mora than any supervision could frustrate. Tlie 
number of men to iie kept ou a« estate, to pr. serve 
it in first rate order, alter it bas come into bearing, 
mustdeiieud of course upon Iba size of tlie plantation, 
but in general one man f. r every lOO trees will 
be found snifioieni, proride.l there be some 4 to 5 
thousand trees. Ou a small scale the proportion 
innst be greater, ns the idlers, snob as those who 
take care of and | reparo tlie apioe, gather the iiu's, 
and manage tlm hoc es and carts, tell more _ upon a 
amnll than a large scale. A man by plrnting the 
Uuiuea grass auj fceilirg cattle may make hia own 
manure, and I believe it to bo the best mode of 
nroceo'iug; those who depend upon tho town for 
their supiilies will frequently meet with dieappoiutment 
and never obtain sneh good rnauure. The price of 
manure geitrrally speaking is a> out 8 cart loads for 
the liollii', rach cart oontmii'rg 20 ba'ket.s. I 
conceive ihat two such carts with a sum. a* amount 
of burned earth to bo little eroiigh manure for a 
tree of 12 yours of age. It is almost iiupossibla for 
a Planter to nianuca the whole of bis trees m rte 
same season, if they amount to sevsral thousands; 
in this case the beat plan is to divide tho property 
into sections, manuring tliein in regular rotation, and 
10 apply a faw baskets of manure as top dressing to 
any psrtieu'ar trees that shew symptoms of flagging. 
The nutmeg Planter ia under the neoessity of keeping 
up nurseries throughout the wbelo of bis operations, 
for the replacement of liad plants sud redundaot males. 
Of the latter, ten per cent seems to bo about tbe 
h-st proportion to keep, but I would have completely 
Uiceoioua trees. No person can boast to get a 
plantation completly filled up and in perfect order 
much Boonor than 15 years. Of tho first hatch planted 
not mure than one half will turn out perfect temalAi, 
for I de not take Into acoonot Mouesoious trees which 
I have already condemned. The tree shows flower 
abont the 7th year, but tlie louger it is before doing 
so, the butt'^r and stronger will it be. I ooncot refrain 
from a smile when a sanguine planter informs me 
with exaltation that he has obtained a nut from a 
tree only 8 or 4 years planted oat, — so much tho 
worse for liii obanoe of sucosss, too great precocity 
being incompatible witli strength and longevity. The 
best trees do not show flower before the Dtb year, 
and one such ia worth a score of tbe othors. This 
will be evident when it la stated that I have seen 
several Irrea yield more than ten thousand nuts each 
in one year, whereas 1 do not believe that there 
is a plantation in the Straits that averages 1000 from 
every tree. This very great disparity of bearing 
shews plainly that the cultivation of tbe plant is 
not yet tboronghly understood, or greater uniformity 
would prevail, and I think it olcarly enough points 
out that a higher degree of cnltivation wonld meet 
its reward. It Is not quite safe to out down tbe 
male plants npon first shewing flower, aa they many 
times show perfectly female flowera tbe following 
year, and in that case are generally the strongo.st 
and finest treea. But there is some indication of this 
in the first mode of flowering. When the raoemoa nro 
many times divided and have nuraerona flowers, there 
is no chance of its becomiug entirely female, bat 
where there are only two or three flowera ou a raceme 
there is It fait prospect of its doing so. The tree 
has not been introJueed into the Straits suffleiently 
long to determine its longevity, hut those iutroilnood 
and planted iu the hoginniog of tho present oentury 
as yet sliew no symptoras of decay. The experiment 
of grafiiug the trees, which at first view preiouts 
so many ndtanlages, both in secnriiig the liuort 
quality of nut and the certainty of tlie sex, lias still 
to be triel in this cultivation. Same three years 
ago, 1 succeeded ia trailing several plants by approach, 
those are not autlioiently old for me to decide wheiber 
it be desirable or n it. for a'thongU tho plants are 
looking well and growing, they as yet hive thrown 
oql their bran. hea in a stragaiieg irregular manner, 
having do leidors, and onusequently tlioy cannot throw 
thfdf branolies in llic reg.ihr vertioles neoessary 
for the porfeot lormntion of the tree, without which 
they must evotb.s small and stunted, a-id oonsequontly 
incapable of yielding any quantity of produce. The 
gtafts buvo sucoeeded ro far as st .ck and scion 
becoming one, and i i time a porpJudicnl&r shoot 
from tlie woo 1 may appear. If after this it sLoiild 
increase in size mid rtrc’gth ro as to form a tree 
of full dimeasions the alvantage gained would bo 
worth any t oubl •, tlie quality of some nnts being 
so far above that or others it wonld make a d ffereuce 
beyond p-erent calculation ; in short 1000 such pink'd 
trees at tlie present prices wonld yield foo'e'bing 
Lqiiivaleiit to twenty thousand dollars per annum, 
for 8 20 per tree would be a low estimate for such 
plants. II Ib's ever does occur it will ohange the 
aspect of tlie cultivation altogether, and I see no 
good reason why it eliould not, except that thoso 
possessing trees of tho quality allu cd to, would 
not very wil.iugly permit others to graft from them, 
«o it is only the already sucoessful planter who can 
try the experiment piopc-Iy. 
BARK AND DRUG REPORT. 
(From the Chemist and Dnujgist.) 
liONUON, Nov. 21st. 
CiKonoNA.— Tbe poriodioal actions of oinchona bark 
were barely up to ihn average . s reganls quantity offered. 
The tutui Buppl) iu the ostalugues consisted of 
Packages. Packages. 
Ceylon... ... B'JU of which 9»X were so d 
Kast India:! ... tcu „ .'!79 „ 
Java ... ... 109 „ 87 „ 
South America... 193 ., HO ,, 
1,754 1.618 
_ The hark offered contained amove thsn avrage por- 
tion of OffleinHlls parcels from India sod Ceylon, nnd 
also included a supply of about ilU packages of Oarkel- 
iugb'irk, a variety which has not boon offered In pablic 
