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Other fruit trees are mangoes, rambutans, jack- 
fruit, mangosteens, langsats and rambais, the man- 
£osteen fruit being considered by Europeans to be 
one of the best to be found in the country. With 
the exception of the jack-fruit, the banana and the 
lime, other kinds fruit seasonally, the main crop, 
in Perak, usually ripening at about Christmas. The 
seasons, however, are not well marked, and though 
there is one main fruiting season, two, or even 
three, subsidiary ones are common, the same trees 
bearing fruit twice, while the rambutans in one 
village may be in fruit in one month and those in 
another not even in flower. 
Of great use, too, to the native is the sago 
palm, the pith of which produces sago, while the 
leaves make the best thatch for his house. The 
leaves of the screw pine or Pandanus are manufac- 
tured by his women into sitting and sleeping mats, 
bags for holding rice, open baskets and wallets for 
tobacco. The bamboo, however, holds pride of place 
for general usefulness over all other plants and 
trees. It provides material for fences, bridges, the 
posts and beams of temporary huts, basketry, fish- 
traps, cages, traps for wild animals, and many other 
purposes, while joints of large bamboos are used 
for holding and carrying water and as cooking 
vessels, and bamboo sheets, either plaited or beaten 
out, for walling, and the latter variety for flooring 
as well. Hard palm wood is also turned to many 
useful purposes. 
The houses of a Malay village are dotted about 
in the grove without any attempt at regularity. 
Each is raised from the ground on posts to a height 
which may vary from about two to six feet. As 
dwellings in different parts of the country differ 
considerably in style, it is not possible to give an 
