as important as direct profits and, arguing on the principle that he 
is a benefactor to the human race who makes two blades of grass 
grow where one grew before, I expect the planter who made Bana- 
nas grow all over his cleared ground, and gave all the fruit away to 
his coolies, would be well repaid in the permanency and well being 
of his coolie staff ; but I think also that such generosity is not yet 
called for and that the planter might reasonably expect to get a 
price for his produce, if only a small one; and that this return 
would help to pay for his weeding. I cannot think that the whole 
space between two rows of rubber trees, perhaps 16 feet, should be 
weeded carefully for six years and not produce anything; that 
seems a great waste of labour. As fruit and vegetable, the Banana 
is one of the most healthy foods obtainable in the east; but from a 
commercial point of view, undoubtedly the varieties producing fibre 
and those best adapted to flour making, should be planted. 
Bananas ar i amongst the easiest of all plants to grow, they should 
be planted twelve to eighteen feet apart, and once planted, if they 
are kept mulched with grass and rubbish, especially during the dry 
season, they will contin e to produce fruit from three to five years 
and great quantities of it. It is said that an acre of Bananas will 
produce enough fo id Cor 25 people, and I should think this is no 
exaggeration. 
ft is a most interesting plant to grow because of the great num- 
ber of varieties, I do not suppose that the table attached to this 
paper contains more than half the names which could be collected, 
and there are very few of them that are not useful in one way or 
another ; the Benjarese ar j great Banana growers and they have a 
way of drying the fruit gradually in the sun and over fires, until it 
becomes almost as tough and dry as a fig or date, in this state 1 
expect it could be packed for exportation ; if Bananas of good 
quality, like Pisang Mas or Priang Ambun, are treated in this way 
they make a most delicious food and one very useful for carrying in 
the jungle 
1 can see no reason at all why the wild pisang of the Peninsula 
should not be plant d, it produces a g od fibre and would I am sure 
compete with the Manilla hemp. 
The last word has surely not yet bsen said concerning Banana 
flour, it would surely be worth a planter’s while to make some ex- 
periments in this direction ; when it is remembered that some of the 
African tribes live almost entirely on roughly prepared cakes, made 
of badly dried and dessicated plantains, it seems as if there is a good 
line for another food stuff, which could be produced nowhere cheaper 
than in these States. 
A. HALE, 
District Officer, Larut and Krian, 
Taiping, Perak, 
June, 1906. 
