( 4 ) 
over the area ; and on no account should “ lalang ” 
(Imperata arundinacea) be allowed to occupy the 
ground. If clean weeding is adopted, the land 
should be tilled once annually; while light or heavy 
soils can be greatly improved by digging in a green 
manure during this operation. Mulching fruit trees 
during the dry seasons is seldom practised, but, by 
experiment, has been found of great value.. 
Regarding the general care of fruit trees, attention 
should be drawn to the necessity for the control of 
insect pests and diseases. Pruning is almost un- 
known amongst natives, and is a point that requires 
further investigation. 
Pineapples The pineapple is a native of Tropical 
(Ananas America, but has been introduced into 
Sativus). all tropical countries and is extensively 
grown in South America, West Indies, 
Cuba, Hawaiian Islands, Malay Archipelago and 
Queensland. 
In the Malay Peninsula the pineapple is grown both 
for dessert and canning purposes ; the largest planted 
areas are to be found in the Island of Singapore, 
where there are several large canneries engaged in 
the preserving of the fruit. The local industry is 
very large, as will be seen from the following figures, 
which show the exports from Singapore during the 
past three years. 
Quantities. Value. 
Cases. $ 
Exports, 1919 . . 255,873 3,286,001 
„ 1920 . . 446,890 7,177,976 
„ 1921 . . 662,360 6,210,383 
The rise in the value of exports in 1920 was due 
partly to the revival of trade, immediately after 
the war, and partly to the fact that supplies of 
