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6. The land suitable for wet padi cultivation is about the most difficult imagi- 
nable for moving about in * facilities for transport are therefore the first desiderata for 
the opening up of a new padi district. Metalled cart-roads are a luxury, but frequent 
bridle-paths (banks raised above the level of the surrounding country) are a sine qua 
non. 
7. The conclusions that I draw from the foregoing are that granting land rent 
free for three years for encouraging padi cultivation is a mistake, and tends to pau- 
perise the grantees, as it has done in many cases, to my certain knowledge ; that the 
most that should be given is to postpone the payments of rent until the crop has been 
harvested. It is better that new settlers should serve an apprenticeship, for the first 
year or two working on the land of others, until they have acquired experience and 
the small amount of capital necessary to support them until they have saved their first 
crop. 
8. This, of course, would not apply to the introduction of a new industry such as 
pepper, which takes three or four years before any return is obtainable, and for which 
the necessary school in which to educate the new-comers does not exist. In the same 
way, where a new race, such as Chinese, Siamese, &c., is to be introduced, or a perfectly 
new district to be opened, it is probably necessary to make special arrangements until 
the first nucleus of a colony has been established, after which, however, I would on no 
account give assistance, beyond perhaps assisted passages. 
9. Speaking broadly, the whole of the alluvial plains between the foot hills 
and the coast on this side of the Peninsula, from Province Wellesley to Johor, are 
specially suitable for wet padi cultivation. The land I speak of has been reclaimed 
from the sea in recent geological times, and is almost quite fiat. To make it available 
for padi cultivation the first thing is to construct a bund inside the edge of the padi 
scrub, which forms a belt along the coast between the mangrove and the nibong forests. 
This bund, with the ditch on the inland side, forms a bank to keep out the sea water, 
which is fatal to padi, and a path for the people, and the ditch from which the bund is 
constructed forms a catch drain, into which drams should be led, running more or less 
at right angles to the coast, and about half a mile apart. These drains serve the 
purpose of regulating the surface water on the lands, there being water-gates at their 
lower ends by which flood water is let off, or, in case of drought, the water is retained. 
They also form a means of transport by which the settlers remove their produce by 
the means of tiny sampans. . 1 put these drains at half a mile (40 chains) apart, as 
experience sUows that for this alluvial land 2\ chains frontage by 20 chains deep forms 
a convenient shape for a block of five acres. If the drains are closer the water is apt 
to drain off too quickly. 
iO- In the early days in Krian the people themselves had to make these sub- 
sidiary drains after the Government had constructed the bund; but if the Govern- 
ment was to do this in suitable localities, I have no doubt that settlers would not be lono- 
before they took up the land, and, in my opinion, the ( Government would spend money 
much more advantageously in constructing these agricultural paths and drains than in 
foregoing rent or making advances to settlers. These drains and bunds could be 
made for from 10 to 20 cents per foot run. 
11. In addition to the alluvial land on the coast, of which I have been speaking, 
there are also considerable tracts of suitable land along the banks of the rivers inland! 
To open these for cultivation, irrigation works on a small scale, such as dams and 
water-courses, are necessary, which the Government should make, and if the cost was 
anything considerable, it might be recovered by an assessment on the land benefited. 
To make these lands accessible, cart-roads are required, as in these cases the sea is 
not available as a highway. 
12. I have no doubt that the methods of cultivation might also be improved 
e -S’i scattering the grain broadcast, as is, I believe, done in some places, instead of the 
tedious plan of transplanting young plants by hand which maintains here. 
13. The question of cultivation, classes of grain, &c., should, I consider, be taken 
up by an expert, such as the Superintendent of Government Plantations in Perak, or 
Superintendent of Forests and Gardens in the Colony, who should have time and 
scientific knowledge to bring to bear on the subject. " It is a well known fact that 
the Malays grow a large variety of padi for their own use, and are very ready to try a 
new variety if given it. It is, however, questionable whether they have the best seed 
for growing rice in quantity for the market, as for that purpose an even, uniform, 
prolific grain is necessary. There are many other questions which might be settled 
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