Sumatra

South of Tapanuli the residency of the West Coast of Sumatra has its border. With the exception of a few alluvial plains along the coast it is very mountainous, comprising the beauti ful region of the Padang highlands (q.v.), with large lakes, Maninjau and Singarak, and many high mountains. Coffee, nut megs, ground-nuts, coco-nuts (copra is a chief export) and cin chona are grown, apart from the usual native crops. There are coal-fields by the sides of the Ombilin river, near Sawah Lunto. Gold and silver are mined. The capital and chief port is Padang (q.v.) (pop. 52,054), and other ports are Ayerbangis and Priaman, Royal Packet Navigation Company vessels call at all these ports and ocean steamers at Padang. Priaman is connected by rail with Padang, and from it the railway extends to Sungai Limau along the coast. A coastal highway from Padang passes southward along the coast through Painan and Balai Salasa to Indrapura. Another road goes inland to Solok (pop. 6,214), Sawah Lunto (pop. 15,146), headquarters of the coal-mining district, Sijunjun Jung and Sungai Dareh near the eastern boundary. A railway line from Padang runs inland to Padang Panjang (pop. 9,609) and 2,365 ft. above sea-level, where there is a small hotel and an industrial school for native girls and a good centre for moun tain scenery. From there it branches northwards to Fort de Kock (pop. 14,657) (assistant resident), with hotels, an inter esting old Dutch fortress, and the chief excursion centre for the Padang highlands. A good motor road connects with Sibolga, in Tapanuli, and thence to Lake Toba and across the island to Arnhemia. The railway extends inland to Pajokumbu (assistant resident) (poi). 5,914) (1,68o ft., a.s.), another excursion centre, which has a quaint native market, is a tobacco-growing centre and has a small hotel. In 1926 West Coast imports amounted to 22,563,046 and exports to 27, 259,775 guilders.

The residency of Bencoolen ex tends along the coast from the West Coast Government. Coffee, cloves, coconuts, tea and rub ber are grown, and Bencoolen has gold and silver deposits in the Rejang-Lebong district. Coal oc curs, but is not worked. The capital is Bencoolen (pop. which is also the chief port. Royal Packet Navigation Company steamers call here and at Kru and Bintuhan. Bencoolen was the headquarters of the British administration in Sumatra, and the old Fort Marlborough still stands. Imports into Bencoolen for 1926 were 2,602,727 guilders and exports were guilders.

East of the West Coast residency lie the residencies of—first Indragili, the mainland portion of the residency of Riouw Lingga, the capital of which is Rengat (assistant resident), and which had, in 1926, imports valued at 6,991,360 guilders and ex ports 17,248,462 guilders; then Jambi (q.v.), the capital and port of which is Jambi (pop. 22,071) (imports [1926] 11,324,513 and exports 26,293,699 guilders) ; and then Palembang (q.v.), with capital and port the town of the same name (pop. 108,145), (imports [1926] 41,775,831 and exports 89,827,248 guilders). The whole of the south-eastern extremity of Sumatra is occupied by the residency of the Lampongs (q.v.), capital and port Teluk

Betong (pop. 25,170), and which is a great pepper-growing cen tre. Imports (1926) were 1,173,722 and exports guilders.

Agriculture.

Agriculture is divided into two classes, native and European. Native agriculture is occupied chiefly with rice cultivation, rice being the main food staple. Both sawali, wet, and ladang, dry, methods are used. Government helps cultivation with irrigation and agricultural advice. Sumatra does not grow sufficient rice to feed its population and has to import rice from British India, Saigon and Siam. Another food crop is maize (grown by the Battaks as a primary crop). Coffee, tobacco, pep per, cotton, kapok, cloves, nutmegs, coconuts, gambier, ground nuts and betel-nuts are grown for export, generally being sold to Chinese middlemen. Of very recent years there has been a great expansion of native-grown rubber. Cattle-, pig- and horse breeding is carried on in a primitive fashion (the Battak-bred horse is small; the Padang breed is larger), fishing is a common occupation (there is a considerable dried fish export trade, mostly in Chinese hands), whilst shells, trepang and prawn-spawn are exported, and such forest products as wild rubber, jelutong, rattan and resins are collected for export, while ebony, sandal wood and ironwood are cut for sale.

European agriculture is estate cultivation, the chief products being rubber and tobacco. Rubber is grown chiefly on the East Coast, with imported labour--Javanese, Chinese, Indian, etc. At the end of 1926 there were 238,563 hectares of rubber planted in Sumatra. The total crop for 1925, including native-grown rubber, was 133,660 tons. The tobacco centre is on the East Coast. Sumatra tobacco is a thin silky-looking leaf, of excellent colour and quality. It fetches a high price in Holland. In 1926, 19,008 hectares were under cultivation and the crop was 20,049 tons of estate leaf tobacco. Coffee produced in 1926 was 36,313 tons. Tea is also an important crop. In 1926 there were 15,802 hectares planted and production was 8,558 tons. Tea-growing is a young industry but the quality is so high that it bids fair to prosper. The intensive cultivation of the oil palm during the past seven years has been remarkable. The cultivated area is 28,642 hectares and the production for 1926 was 9,483,990 kg. of oil and 1,627,230 kg. of kernels. As against 36% of fatty acids in African palm oil, Sumatra oil contains only 12%. Cinchona (quinine) is pro duced on the West Coast. The planted area is 2,181 hectares, and production, in 1926, was 1,326 tons. A rapidly extending cultiva tion of agave fibres surpasses the production of the much older Java plantations. Production in 1926, from large estates on the East Coast, was 22,000 tons. Extensive areas are being planted with manila hemp, until now grown exclusively in the Philippine islands. Two East Coast estates in 1926 produced 2,80o tons of gambier. Coca (cocaine) is grown on the East Coast.