SOME ACCOUNT OF THE NUTMEG AND ITS CULTIVATION. 651 
lay their eggs on the leaves but they are not all of equal importance; 
that which manifests itself by the discolorization of the leaf, and the 
larv® of which are embedded in the substance and not on the surface, 
appears the worst, but all ought to be carefully watched and remov¬ 
ed or they rapidly spread and cause great havoc amongst the trees. 
For this purpose it is necessary to wash the leaves with a decoction 
of Tuba root, and syringe them by means of a bamboo with Chunam 
and water of the consistence of white wash, this adheres to the leaves 
and will remain even after several heavy showers giving for the time 
rather an unsightly appearance to the tree, but making amends by 
clearing it of the larvre already alluded to; another nuisance is the 
nest of the large red ant; these Collect and glue the leaves together 
forming a cavity for the deposition of their lame* All leaves thus 
made use of turn yellow and die; they do not that I have observed 
otherwise injure the tree, hut trees so infested do not bear well and 
the ants bite the collecters severely, and indeed any person incau¬ 
tious enough to brush against the tree. The best mode of destroying 
them is to hang a portion of some animal substance such as the en¬ 
trails of a fowl or the like to the end of a pole, the opposite extre¬ 
mity of which is allowed to pass through the branches, the ants will 
run along the pole and collect in immense quantities around the 
bait, when by a lighted faggot they can he burned by thousands. 
This operation repeated a couple of times a day for a week or so, will 
rid the tree of the invaders, their nests should be broken up by the 
collectors as they go their rounds, but this they are very unwilling 
to do seeing that there are few insects more ready to revenge them¬ 
selves, and the coolies never fail of a good biting whenever they try 
the experiment of disturbing them. I have now made the planter 
tolerably well aware of what he has to do and of most of the diffi¬ 
culties he has to encounter. I shall now endeavour to give some no¬ 
tion of the prices of labour and material, and speak of the work best 
done by contract and that which one had better perform with the 
labourers on the estate. 
The first operations of clearing ground and digging the holes can 
be done more cheaply by contract labor than by men on monthly 
hire, very little supervision in such case being required as it is easy 
to see whether the ground be well cleared or not, and the size of 
holes being determined previously, there can be nod ispute about the 
matter afterwards. It is sutprising how much better the Chinese 
work when they are paid by the task rather than the day, and singu- 
