What To Grow In The Islands

How New Guinea Dept, of Agriculture is Experimenting to Assist Planters

A VERY valuable and interesting review of agriculture and recent developments in primary production in the Mandated Territory of New Guinea was given by Mr. George H. Murray, New Guinea Di rector of Agriculture, in an address de livered to members of the New South Wales branch of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science in April.

The peculiar merit of the address lies in the fact that Mr. Murray, in addition to giving his expert agricultural knowledge, has made an economic survey of the pos sibilities of the various plants.

TAKE Mandated Territory of New Guinea, which includes the Bismarck Archi pelago, he said, contains about 91,000 miles. In this vast area climatic condi tions vary from the humid lowlands near the coast to the cool mountain peaks over 12,000 feet high suitable for the growth of every crop of equatorial regions. In the early days of the German regime prac tically all the settlements were confined to the coast. Coconuts, being easily grown and suitable for such districts, was the first crop to be cultivated, and remains the staple product to this day, our export of copra being approximately 60,000 tons per annum.

In the early days of coconut planting in the Pacific, methods of cultivation were more primitive than they are to-day on well-managed coconut estates in Malaya and Ceylon. The coconuts were planted

more or less regularly 28 to 30ft. apart each way and they received very little cultiva tion, other than to keep the grass cut down, which, as cultivation, is hardly worthy of the name. Several of the plan tations in the early stages of the German regime were inter-planted with cotton, the cultivation of which also helped the coconuts, and the cotton crop was of some assistance in reducing labour costs. The low price of cotton to-day, however, hardly warrants the cultivation of cotton in New Guinea even for this purpose.

It should be remembered that there is practically no resting period in plant growth in the tropics, particularly in dis tricts with heavy rainfall. Consequently, weeds are growing all the time, and the methods employed in orchard cultivation in temperate zones are quite inapplicable in the humid tropics. About 25 years ago, therefore, selective weeding and use of cover plants came into practice. The for mer meant encouraging the growth of leguminous weeds to combat those of an injurious nature.

Cover Crops

Passiflora foetida was one of the first to be used as a cover plant in competition with the noxious grass, he continued.

Imperata arundinaceal, known by various names, in the eastern tropics to which it is confined: in Ceylon it is known as Illuk, in Malaya and the East Indies as Lalang corruption of the Malay name alang alang, in the Philippines as Cogon, in the Terri

tory of New Guinea as Kunai, in Papua by its Motuan name of Kuru kuru, and commonly known in the warmer parts of Australia as blady grass. Its growth in Australia, except in North Queensland, is much less rank than in New Guinea, In cidentally, this grass can be manufactured into paper, a sample of which is on show at the Agriculture Dept., Rabaul. Such an industry could never be worked on a profitable basis, however, except on an extensive scale, where the grass could be cut by machinery.

Although Passiflora has proved success ful in combating Kunai in New Guinea, where soil conditions are favourable, It proved quite unsuitable in heavy soil in

certain parts of Papua. It is non-legu minous and for that reason was not a satisfactory cover. Experiments over a long period were carried out with other leguminous plants for the control of weeds and noxious grasses and the two creepers Centrosema pubescens and Calo pogonium mucunoides are now in general use for this purpose in the East Indies,

and have proved eminently suitable in New Guinea. There was great opposition and criticism of the use of leguminous

cover plants when first recommended by the N.G. Dept, of Agriculture, the planters being wedded to the old method of cutting

New Guinea natives cutting copra on a New Britain plantation. By the method followed here, the coconuts are split with an axe, then the meat is removed from the shell by a few dexterous cuts with a sharp copra knife. This is later cured by being dried in the sun or placed in a hot air drier. —Block by courtesy of “Mission Review.”

the kunai with scythes made of suitable sharpened hoop iron formerly practised by Germans in the early days before the more scientific method of cover plants came into use. Many planters to-day, however, are using cover plants on their plantations, one of whom informed me that since he had established these plants on his pro perty he was able to dispense with his gang of 60 grass cutters. Another plan tation of approximately 500 acres is en tirely covered with such plants, not a single labourer being employed in weed control. Centrosema pubescens takes a considerable time to get established, 6 to 12 months, but Calopogonium grows very rapidly once the plant commences to run, and one planter who says he cannot re member its name, calls it “galloping home again.” The latter plant dies back during a continuously long period of dry weather, but the former makes a permanent cover when once established.

Copra Curing Methods

In very shallow soil neither plant grows satisfactorily, but coconuts will not thrive in such soil either. Copra, the cured meat of the coconut, Mr. Murray said, is pre pared for market by drying in the sun, over smoke fires, or in specially con structed driers heated by hot air, or in a few cases by steam. The best sun cured copra is of the best quality but only dis tricts having considerable sunshine are suitable for this method. What is known as the Ceylon type of drier is the most satisfactory artificial method of drying.

Even with this method, however, it is ad visable to give the green (uncured) copra one day in the sun before putting in the drier. This method necessitates transfer ring the copra from one platform to an other for five consecutive days after which it should be of first class quality. This method was recommended to the planters in New Guinea and plans and particulars supplied by the Department of Agricul ture.

Like many new methods that have been recommended it received criticism in cer tain quarters. One company after a short trial condemned it for the reason that it was said to require 44 units to produce one ton of copra. Another planter in his first attempt at curing in accordance with this method cured his copra at a labour cost of 34 units to the ton, and there can be no doubt but after his labourers were thoroughly accustomed to the work that labour costs could be greatly reduced.

This has been proved as another planter who has always followed the advice of the Department of Agriculture informed me that his labour cost was 17 units per ton, and he has been producing first class copra, obtaining a considerably higher price than Rabaul Sun-dried. The coco nut planter in New Guinea and elsewhere must realise that the only way to make his plantation pay to-day is to reduce costs of plantation maintenance and improve the quality of his copra by curing in some such method as the Cey’on type of drier.

This drier can be modified to suit large or small properties. That such methods are practicable is proved by the fact that a large estate of 18,000 acres in Malaya pro duces copra at an all-in-cost of less than £5 per ton f.o.b.

Every endeavour is being made by "he Department of Agriculture to raise the standard of N.G. copra by a system of copra inspection by qualified inspectors.

The scheme of copra inspection has raised the standard of our copra so that planters have received as much as 12/6 per ton over South Sea at which N.G. copra was pre viously rated, he added.

Sexava Insect Pest

Coconuts in New Guinea are compara tively free from serious disease, but they

are subject to attack by several insect pests common to the Pacific. We have, however, a very serious pest in New Guinea so far unknown to other Pacific Islands, but very closely akin to a species in Moluccas and the Taland Group of Islands in the D.E.I. It belongs to the family Tettigoniidae and the genus Sexava.

These insects may frequently be present on a plantation for years, but not in sufficient numbers to cause serious damage.

Then they may suddenly increase with alarming rapidity, reaching plague proportions. The insects can best be described as long horned tree hoppers, sturdily built and about four inches long. They are ravenous eaters and the noise made by eating (they eat mainly at night) resembles

a gentle breeze passing through the tops of the palms. Palms that have been heavily attacked are often stripped of their foliage and resemble an umbrella frame.

Ordinary methods of insect control are quite inapplicable for such a pest. In studying the problem I found that the same, or kindred insect, was found in Amboina in the Moluccas, where it was kept under control by a minute Chalcid wasp, Leefmansia Bicolor, parasitic on the Sexava egg. After correspondence with Dr. Leefmans, Director of the Institute of Plant Disease, Buitenzorg, Java, recom mendations were submitted to the Admin istrator (General Wisdom) in 1928 for the introduction of the parasites from the Moluccas to New Guinea. Considerable

correspondence ensued, but as often hap pens no action was taken. Too much can not be said for the action taken by General Griffiths, Acting Administrator, in the matter, for when the recommendation was submitted to him at the end of 1932 he sent for me and within an hour the scheme was put in motion. A Government schooner was prepared for sea and, within

little more than a month after necessary official action had been taken, left Rabaul for Amboina with Mr. J. L. Froggatt, en tomologist, on board. Mr. Froggatt suc ceeded in obtaining a large number of parasitised eggs and landed them safely at a field laboratory at Manus, in the charge of Mr. J. F. Caldwell.

Many thousands of local Sexava eggs were duly parasitised by the Leefmansia and breeding operations were then estab lished. The parasites have been ob tained from Sexava eggs collected in the field, and we have good reason to believe that they are established in that district.

The field laboratory has since been re moved to New Hanover under Mr. B.

O’Connor and his reports show that the parasites are gradually distributing them selves in Sexava infested areas on the Island. It is too soon yet to say what the ultimate result will be, but we cer tainly have good reason to hope that this campaign against Sexava will be a suc cess.

Other Islands Crops

It is very unwise that any country should depend upon one crop for its agri cultural development, he said, and the Department has made every effort to en courage the cultivation of crops other than coconuts. About the middle of 1928 operations were started for the develop ment of the Keravat Demonstration Plan tation, about 30 miles from Rabaul. Con trary to what has been said in certain quarters our records show that many ex periments and introduction of new crop plants have been made there.

Apparently many planters and even; officials have the idea that there are many tropical crops at present not cultivated in New Guinea, that can be grown profitably by Europeans. In New Guinea such how ever is not the case, particularly as the only districts at present accessible for development are those comparatively near the ccast. Some tropical crops are suit able on y for peasant cultivation, or on the other hand, on a very extensive scale, re quiring expensive machinery.

Pimento, for which there is but a limited demand, is practically grown only in Jamaica where there is little more than a peasant crop.

Nutmegs take long years to come into bearing and the prices ruling would not justify any planter growing them exten sively. It is a crop that requires careful handling and packing. There are a few trees bearing on some of the plantations to which the owners might well give their attention. The nutmegs are very subject to insect attack after harvesting and re quire careful packing. They should be packed in paper lined boxes weighing 56 lbs. each. The nutmegs also should be wrapped in paper and the joins or seams of the boxes sealed with adhesive tape.

Cloves have not yet been introduced to New Guinea, but the market for this spice is limited, and more than supplied by Pamba and Zanzibar (British Protectorate) and the Moluccas, D.E.I.

Pepper has been introduced by the De partment and is coming into bearing at the Demonstration Plantation and Botanic Gardens. This crop takes about six years to be in full profit and requires as inten sive cultivation as a market garden..

Ordinarily, the stock of pepper on the London market is 4,000 tons, but there are at present 25,000 tons, and so this crop would be of no assistance in relieving planters in the present copra slump.

Arrowroot, ginger, cardamons and cinnamon are minor crops cultivated at the Demonstration Plantation and Botanic Gardens, Rabaul, but the planter would be ill-advised who entered on their culture extensively, owing to the limited market.

Vanilla, another minor crop grown at the Demonstration Plantation, has greater possibilities, but only as a side line. As is well-known, vanilla is an orchid, and in New Guinea must be hand-pollinated to get any crop.

The fibre plants, Manila hemp, Sanse viera hemp and Mauritius and jute are all grown at the Demonstration Plantation and the Botanical Gardens, Rabaul, but not one of these could be grown profitably in New Guinea, for reasons unnecessary to specify here. An improved variety or sub-species of Sisal hemp also introduced to the Demonstration Plantation could pro ably be grown profitably in New Guinea, but only if grown on a very extensive scale. and under able and skilled manage ment. A great deal of expensive machinery wou'd be necessary for the successful cul tivation of this crop. The same applies to Tapioca, although this is a crop more

easily dealt with. Its production, however, on a profitable commercial scale by Euro pean planters requires considerable finan cial resources on account of machinery for its preparation. This crop is also being grown at the Demonstration Plantation and experiments are to be made in its preparation by simpler methods.

Desiccated coconut is also produced, there being three mills in operation, but there is little likelihood of expansion in this industry for the present.

The Derris Plant

Mr. Murray said the leguminous plant Derris is now receiving some attention as a plantation crop, and experiments are being made at the Demonstration Planta tion in the cultivation of an introduced species, probably Derris Malacceasis, and the indigenous species at present unidenti fied. A small sample of New Guinea Derris was sent by the Department to the Imperial Institute in London and was favourably reported on. Its rotenone con tent was approximately 4 per cent, and considered equal to the Malay product.

The rotenone content in this plant seems to be very variable, and until we have sufficient roots to make a trial shipment to London the Agriculture Department would not be justified in advising planters to enter upon its cultivation. It takes about 21 months from planting before the roots are ready for harvesting. The main toxic property in the roots is rotenone, which is now coming into use for insecti cidal purposes.

Adlay, a cereal crop introduced from the Philippines, is growing very well at the Demonstration Plantation, but both Euro peans and natives would need to acquire the taste for it before it could ever become an important crop in N.G. The grain, how ever, is appreciated by poultry.

The very few tropical crops left that could be grown profitably in New Guinea

are cocoa, rubber, coffee (Robusta and the Arabics), tea, cinchona, kapok, West Afri can oil, and sugar, all of which are culti vated at the Demonstration Plantation, except tea and cinchona.

Cocoa, Rubber And Coffee

During the German regime there was a considerable production of cocoa in the colony, but during military occupation such plantations were greatly neglected. Efforts are now being made to revive the industry and according to returns the exports of cocoa in 1933/34 amounted to 167 tons. Mr.

E. C. Green, of the Department of Agri culture, who took a post-graduate course at the Imperial College of Tropical Agri culture in Trinidad, was advised before his departure from Rabaul to specialise on cocoa and after his return he was specially detailed to inspect cocoa plantations in the Territory and advise the growers as to how to improve their methods. Before my de parture on leave, he continued, the Depart ment received very appreciative letters on the work of this officer, and there has al ready been a decided improvement in some of the cocoa exported from the Territory.

Amongst the cocoa trees in the Botanic Gardens, Rabaul, there are a few trees yielding beans of good type, round full seeds and light colour in longitudinal sec tion. These trees have been selected as mother trees for seed purposes and it has also been proposed to obtain some speci ally selected high quality plants from Java if regulations in that country permit.

A small coffee industry has been estab lished, there being four plantations of Robusta now coming into bearing. In N.G. this crop is far behind Papua, the exports for the last year from the latter territory being 122,000 lbs. as against our 11,000 lbs.

Owing to the large consumption of rub ber in Australia there are possibilities of this crop being worked on a profitable basis if up-to-date methods are employed.

No rubber is produced in the Mandated

Territory of New Guinea, but there are plantations in Papua, though I doubt if the maximum yield of dry rubber per acre in that Territory is more than 400 lbs. By the modern methods of rubber planting now practised in the D.E.I. and Malaya, that is by planting budded trees from specially selected high yielding clones, 1,500 lbs. per acre or more may be expected.

By an agreement between the main rub ber producing countries it is impossible to get any plant material from these high yielding clones, but if a thorough investi gation of the rubber tree were made in Papua by the estate managers there in co operation with Mr. Dwyer, our economic botanist, it is possible that we might dis

cover clones equal to some of the record yielders of Sumatra and Java.

At the Agricultural Station, Wau, in the Morobe goldfields district, at an elevation of little more than 3000 ft., the Department introduced Coffee Arabica of the famous Bue Mountain variety from Jamaica. Un fortunately, the station is now in private hands, but the trees are yielding heavy crops of excellent quality which find a ready local market. The rich mountain land on the Upper Ramu and many other parts of New Guinea are eminently suit able for Arabian coffee, high quality tea, and Chinchona, but it is useless to con sider the cultivation of these crops until suitable roads have been constructed into the interior. This is a matter, however, dealing with policy, on which it is not advisable for me to speak.

Mr. C. Stammerjohn, a pioneer German settler in Fiji, died at Suva at the end of March. He went to Levuka from Hamburg in 1883, and for many years was a planter at Vala Vala. During the Great War he was repatriated to Ger many, living there for several years before returning to Fiji to engage in planting and trading at Yalave, Fawn Harbour, Vanua Levu.