PLANTATION RUBBER INDUSTRY OF THE EAST. 481 



was expended in clearing the scrub, so that the Hevea seeds 

 might be collected. In 1898 Hevea was sent to Lumut and 

 BaUk Pulau for planting in the forest reserves, and more trees 

 were planted in the Economic Garden. 



Rubber attracted practically no attention in Malaya in the 

 early nineties. The annual reports of the Residents of the 

 various States usually make sOme reference to the progress of 

 the planting industry, but none of them mention rubber. The 

 Selangor report for 1894, Perak for 1895, Kuala Kangsar for 

 1896, may be instanced. Durmg those years planters were 

 interested chiefly in coffee, so much so that one report (Kuala 

 Langat, 1896) refers to the " universal coffee fever." Even 

 the accounts of well-known estates, e.g., Jebong, Sehnsing, 

 do not refer to it : Sehnsing, in July, 1897, was stated to have 

 coffee, nutmegs, and ramie. ^ 



The earliest reference to rubber planting on an estate in 

 Malaya which the writer has been able to discover is to be 

 found in the " Tropical Agriculturist " for December, 1895 

 (XV., p. 397), where the editors record that they had 

 received a visit from Mi\ Baker, who had planted, or intended 

 to plant, 500 acres in Lower Perak. 



In 1897 a slump occurred in coffee. The heavy fall in the 

 price of coffee caused widespread alarm in the Native States, 

 and it was alleged that coffee growing would no longer pay 

 except under exceptional conditions.^ The report of the 

 Selangor Planters' Association for 1897 states : " It is evident 

 that coffee planters must turn their attention to the cultivation 

 of other products as well, and your committee are glad to be 

 able to report that a large number of the valuable Para rubber 

 trees have been planted." 



The choice of rubber, to replace or supplement coffee, was 

 no doubt due in a great measure to the energetic propaganda 

 which had been carried on by Ridley at Singapore for many 

 years. To some extent also the decision would be influenced 

 by the successful experience of Culloden, and the steady rise 

 in the price of this product, which had been on the up grade 



1 "Tropical Agriculturist," XVII., p. 270. 



^ "Tropical Agriculturist," XVII., p. 665, ex Straits paper. 



6(4)14 ^ (62) 



