PEPPER GROWING IN UPPER SARAWAK. 
58 
Fruiting in the ordinary course of events takes a 
year; that is to say, within a year the crop is finished.. 
During this time burnt earth is applied every four 
months and the gardeners are kept busy weeding, repair¬ 
ing drains, etc. In certain districts where pepper and 
gambier gardens have been combined, the refuse gam- 
bier leaves are commonly used as a top dressing between 
the pepper vines, in fact, covering the ground to a 
depth of several inches. In such cases burnt earth 
is hardly used, and the vines do equally well. 
As will be seen from the above the first crop is 
obtained when the vine is from 2 \ to 2 \ years old, the 
yield being estimated at 1 to ij catties of white pepper 
per vine (4 to 6 catties of green pepper). 
At the end of another year, say 3J years in all, the 
vine has reached the top of its 10 feet post and is 
considered full grown, the crop being estimated at 3 
catties per vine. And this crop may be counted on for 
the next 8 to 10 years. 
Each season as the crop is just finished, one catty 
of prawn refuse per vine is applied to the roots in 
preparation for the next season’s crop. 
The main cropping time falls between July and 
October; that is to say the cuttings are planted from 
November to January during the north-east monsoon, as 
the young plants require a lot of moisture, and they must 
be watered during the dry weather. 
The average life of a vine in Upper Sarawak is from 
10 to 12 years, though this figure entirely depends upon 
the care expended on the cultivation. With perfect 
cultivation there is no reason why vines should not 
produce crops up to 20 years and more. One of 30 years 
has been known to be still in crop ; but that of course is 
exceptional. 
The Chinaman recognizes three kinds of cuttings, 
characterized by:— 
(i) A very small leaf with rough surface which is 
the male and no use for obtaining fruit. 
(ii) A larger smooth leaf, which is the female and 
is used for planting. 
(iii) A yet larger smooth leaf, which is herma¬ 
phrodite and no use for planting. 
