CS. 1 ' 
Agriculture. 
During 1914 the prices of the chief 
Malayan agricultural exports which are 
shipped west, fell in the world's markets, 
Hubber, for instance, after repeating the 
seasonal rise cf three out of the last four 
years, fell again before war broke out to 
the point from which it had risen ; near 
to which it has since been main¬ 
tained by the decrease of its import into 
London, and elsewhere. The actual im¬ 
parts into London during 1914 amounted 
to less than those of 1913, and 
the total world’s production appears 
also to have been slightly less; for 
though the production of plantation 
rubber has increased enormously, the de¬ 
crease in output from wild sources has 
been even greater. Coconut products fell 
gradually towards the outbreak of war, 
lost their market when the crisis came, 
and then after a month began to find it 
again, the prices varying closely with the 
freedom of the sea. After the destruction 
of the German cruiser “ Emden ” they 
began to rise in a promising way. Sago 
and tapioca, low when the year began, 
went lower like the coconut products, but 
are now obtaining somewhat better prices. 
Putch leaves lost their market entirely 
when war was declared. On the other 
hand gambier, which chiefly goes east, is 
a little more profitable than it was. 
The amount of rubber produced in the 
Malay Peninsula shows a great increase, 
in which the Settlements have taken a 
more or less even part. An area of 
, moderate extent has been newly planted 
in Singapore island, and a small one in the 
territory of Malacca. In the first named 
the rubber growing on the new lands 
seems to be entirely a subsidiary product 
; by the terms under which the land 
| has been let for the growing of pineapples, 
; a permanent crop has to be planted and 
! rubber seams to the occupiers to be best 
for such a purpose. In the territory 
of Malacca, the surrender to Government 
of laud* taken up speculatively or un¬ 
wisely by rubber companies in the boom, 
has been rather more than was antici¬ 
pated, and many estates are finding it 
necessary to use revenue for completing 
development; but the revenue promises 
generally to suffice. Great economies have 
been found possible; the cost of produc¬ 
tion has been reduced wonderfully; and 
there are companies producing and mar- 
j keting at below one shilling per lb. 
In the older and Chinese-planted 
estates of Malacca tdinning is being car¬ 
ried out extensively. Ploughing is also 
being resorted to more and more. Not a 
few factories are acting as centrals 
for small neighbouring estates—a proced¬ 
ure which goes some way towards reduc- 1 
ing the variability of the quality of the 
product. The rubber plantations are very 
free from disease. 
There is now extremely little tapioca 
associated anywhere with rubber, and the 
European estates Province Wellesley 
which formerly made tapioca have ceased 
to do so. A little Chinese tapioca-manu¬ 
facture continues in Malacca. 
Coconuts in most places have had a 
productive year. New land is being 
planted with them to a small extent 
in province Wellesley and in Singa-1 
pore. The older estates in Province 1 
Wellesley, in some cases planted un- ) 
satisfactorily, have received a consider- ! 
able amount of attention, and the trees 
are said to have responded to manure and 
cultivation given in 1913. 
Pineapples occupy a slightly reduced 
area in Singapore island in consequence of 
their removal from under rubber on the 
r l ; h 
larger rubber estates. But this has 
caused new lands to be planted with 
them, The price of pineapples in Singa¬ 
pore town fell at the commmencement 
of the war to fifty cents per hundred 
(which was also its minimum during the 
excessively large crop of 1913) in conse¬ 
quence of the cessation of work at the 
canneries. However, the work was soon 
resumed. It seems that fifty cents per 
hundred is the minimum price at which 
picking and carting can be done, the cost 
of cultivation then being lost. 
The success of pineapple-planting in 
Singapore seems to have stimulated a 
small increase in the crop on Chinese 
owned land in Malacca and Province 
Wellesley, but without canneries the mar¬ 
ket there is very limited. 
Gambier is being removed from under 
rubber in Malacca only very slowly. In 
Singapore island its cultivation persists in 
three mukims ; and so long as the market 
maintains its present prices and labour is 
abundant, the crop i3 unlikely to dis¬ 
appear. 
Vegetable growing is extending, especial¬ 
ly in Singapore island, in consequence 
ol the freeing of labour from estates. 
The last season has been favourable to 
vegetables ; and prices on the Singapore 
markets have been much lower than they 
were. Chillies are among the special 
products cf 1914, The Chinese who plant 
vegetables are in Singapore also planting 
a little indigo. 
There is a slight further increase in 
Singapore of plantain cultivation. Small 
crops of tuba are by no meaus uncommon 
in the east of the island. 
Throughout the Settlements the crop of 
mangosteens and other fruits has been 
very good, 
The rich crop of 1913-14 was in places 
excellent: that of 1914-15 unfortunately 
started badly, for rain did not fall when 
required. 
The locust pest in Malacca has done 
very little damage. The locust is destruc¬ 
tive elsewhere under certain conditions; 
but is not so as yet in the Penin¬ 
sula. Its favourite foods are certain pas¬ 
ture grasses, maize, etc., which do not play 
a large part in local agriculture; but it has 
attacked rice, sugar cane, coconuts and 
some other economic plants in a small 
degree. Measures are being taken against 
it in the hope of preventing it becoming 
really destructive. These measures are 
being carried out on the same lines as those 
undertaken in the Federated Malay States, 
and are taken in consultation with the 
Agricultural Department of the States. 
