ÖÖI 8x 3 ^c- 0 - Acehbooks.org

S U M A T R A . ui
Befides the method already defcribed, of turning down vines, the planters
fometimes praöice the following. The original vine, when cut
fhort, is not bent into the earth, but two or three of the beft fhoots from
it are turned down, and let to fpring up at fome diftance; being ftill
brought back, and trained to the fame chinkareen. By this means the
nourifhment is colled:ed from a more extenfive circuit of earth. Sometimes
the gardens are fuffered to grow without turning down at all;
but as the produce is fuppofed to be confiderably injured by the neglect,
and doubtlefs with reafon, the contrary is enjoined by the ftricteft
orders.
When the vines originally planted to any of the chinkareens, are obferved
to fail or mifs; inftead of replacing them with new plants, they
conduct one of the fhoots, or fuccours, from a neighbouring vine, to
the fpot, through a trench made in the ground, and there fuller it to rife
up anew ; often at the diftance of twelve or fourteen feet from the parent
ftock.
This practice of turning down the vines, which appears very Angular,
and certainly contributes to the duration, as well as ftrength of the plant,
yet probably may amount to nothing more than a fubftitute for tranfplantation.
The people of Europe obferving that plants often fail to
thrive, when permitted to grow up in the fame beds where they were
fir ft fet, found it expedient to remove them, at a certain period of their
growth, to frefli fituations. The Sumatrans obferving the fame failure,,
in the firft cafe, had recourfe to the fame alternative; but effected it in a
different, and perhaps more advantageous mode. It fhould be remarked
that attempts have been made to propagate the pepper by cuttings, or
layers, called charrang, inftead of the ufual method; which at firft feemed
to promife great fuccefs ; but it was found that thefe did not continue tobear,
for an equal number of years; which was a powerful argument
for difcontinuing the experiment.
The-