414 
The maize was as fine as ever, and there was much of it. The 
riverside sandbanks of Perak and other parts of the northern districts 
of the peninsula produce very fine samples. 
Both ginger and turmeric were really quite exceptional this year, 
and the best of the specimens shown would be hard to beat any- 
where. The amount exhibited, too, was quite unusual, showing a 
greater interest taken in these two useful minor crops. 
The Tuba-root was good also, though some of the samples were 
too woody. Nearly all were roots of the true Tuba, Derris-elliptica, 
but on previous occasions we had interesting collections of different 
poisons of this class from other species of trees or shrubs staged. 
Sugar cane was less extensively shown than it has been when the 
exhibitions was held nearer the cane-districts of Province Wellesley 
and Perak. It is certainly rather a cumbrous exhibit to bring from 
long distances. The cultivation of the cane has, however, in any case 
fallen off owing to its place being so largely taken up by rubber. 
There was little variety in the exhibits, the yellow eating cane, 
known as Telor, and a purple field-cane being the only varieties 
staged. There were, however, good samples of both of these, and the 
Telor cane carrried away the first prize. 
The sugars, coco-nut, nipah and kabong gave some work to the 
judges, all were abundant and the best samples were exceptionally 
firm, well flavoured and neatly prepared. 
There were a good many samples of coffee, considering how this 
product has lately dropped out of cultivation, and the cocoa-pods 
shown were better, more abundant and riper than at most of the pre- 
vious shows. Some of the pods were of very good size, and there were 
but few marks of disease so prevalent here. The first prize was 
allotted to some excellent, though small, pods, of the green variety, 
the second to some fair Sangue Toro. No prizes were offered this year 
for tea or indigo, which have always been represented at previous 
shows. 
Betel nuts, both fresh and dried, formed a very conspicuous fea- 
ture, and were well up to average, and Sireh leaves were> more 
abundantly represented than usual, and very large, fresh and good. 
Cloves were scanty, only two good samples, and these not the 
very best. A nice little lot of mother-cloves, the fruit of the clove tree 
was shown also, nutmegs were not up to the average standard, espe- 
cially the fresh ones. Perhaps the season had something to do with 
this. Mace was better, the red being represented by some very clean 
and bright spice. But, we have often seen a better show of these 
spices. Pepper was fair, but not as abundant or fine as we have 
seen, the fall off in cultivation of late years perhaps accounts for this. 
The spice collections were better than usual, both in abundance 
and arrangement, the large numbers of samples of spices used in cur- 
ries arranged in little bowls on staging being very attractive and 
interesting. 
