PLANTATION RUBBER INDUSTRY OF THE EAST. 445 



II.— The First Flowering of Hevea in the East. 



By the end of the year 1877, Hevea brasiliensis had been 

 estabhshed at Henaratgoda and Peradeniya in Ceylon, at 

 Singapore, at Kuala Kangsar in Perak, and at Mergiii in 

 Burma. In Ceylon some propagation was said to have been 

 effected by cuttings, and plants were distributed ; but it was 

 recognized that no extensive distributions could be made until 

 seed was produced. The flowering of the tree was therefore 

 awaited with great interest, for the possibihty of successful 

 cultivation on a large scale depended entirely on whether 

 viable seed would be produced or not. The first flowering 

 must have occasioned some disappointment, for in neither of 

 the recorded cases did any fruit result. 



In Perak, one tree flowered m 1880, but did not set any seed. 

 In the following year, two (or more) trees flowered and several 

 fruits were produced. A letter from Mr. J. A. Swettenham,^ 

 under date September 2, 1881, to Dr. Trimen, runs as 

 follows : — 



" Mr. Hugh Low, C.M.G., has sent me from Perak a small 

 quantity of seed of the Hevea brasiliensis which has this year just, 

 yielded fourteen ripe pods, the trees having flowered in March. 

 Mr. Low says : " The first and largest tree flowered tlirce times 

 before it produced any fruit, but another which now only flowered 

 once produced as many pods as the first. The flowers were very 

 numerous, although the product is so small." 

 On September 3 he wrote : — 

 " I send you the Hevea seed by postal packet." ^ 

 In the " Tropical Agriculturist," October 1, 1881, Low states : 

 I have just gathei-ed sixteen pods of ripe seeds of the Hcvm. 

 brasiliensis, two of which I have sent to Mr. J. A. Swetteifliain 

 in Colombo. The plants were put out in November, 1878 

 (should be 1877), and were then 3 inches high." 



Trimen, in his Annual Report for 1880, states that " in 

 the latter place {i.e., Perak) a tree has flowered sparingly (at 

 two and a half years, and 35 feet high) ; Mr. Low kindly 

 promises seed if any ripen." None, however, were sent until 

 1881, as recorded above. A note in Tiimen's diary states that 

 three entire capsules were received, but the seeds were dead : 

 apparently they had been gathered before they were ripe. 



1 Letter in Peradeniya file. 



