i6o 



two days on their arrival and were tlien planted with the upper 

 portion left above the soil. Ninety out of the hundred seeds 

 have already germinated (Nov. 7th.) and appear healthy young 

 plants. 



To the Royal Gardens, Kew, 135 seeds were sent on July, 6th, 

 packed in charcoal, in a biscuit-tin. They arrived in a month, 

 and 123 germinated. On February, I2th, 1903, 20 seeds were 

 sent to Mr. J. C. Harvey, Vera Cruz, Mexico, who writes. May 19th, 

 1903, that " out of the 20 seeds of Hcvca hrasiliensis I have 14 

 young plants. They came up in a few days, and possibly a few 

 more may germinate, though three seeds were decayed." These 

 were all sent in biscuit tins. Those sent to Jamaica were packed 

 in slightly damped incinerator earth, but it was necessary to 

 replace the upper part of the packing with sawdust to reduce the 

 weight, as incinerator earth is very heavy and the box, a two- 

 pound tin, which contained 150 seeds would have been over par- 

 cel post weight. 



The other tins were filled with damp charcoal finely powdered. 

 In packing, a certain amount of care is required in damping the 

 charcoal so as to get it eciually moistened all through, and not 

 either over wet or over dry. This is best done by damping the 

 charcoal thoroughly and then drying it in the sun constantly 

 stirring and turning it over, till it is uniformly slightly damped. 

 The incinerator earth which had been exposed to the elements 

 was damp when received and only wanted partial drying to fit it 

 for packing. Its v/eight is against its use, but both it and the 

 powdered charcoal have the great advantage of preventing any 

 attacks of mould or bacteria likely to cause decomposition. 

 Other experiments with powdered coir fibre, and coir dust, saw- 

 dust and variously prepared soils have been tried, but the results 

 do not seem to have ever been as successful. One experiment 

 was maae in putting the seeds in water for a month, and though 

 that might be effective for a fortnight or so, they had all perished 

 by the end of the month. 



ACREAGE IN RUBBER. 



Sir Frank Swettenham writes with regard to an article which 

 appeared in Tlic Standard of August 8 last : — The acreage planted 

 with Para rubber in the Straits and Malay States on January i 

 last was 30,000 acres, and in Ceylon 25,000 acres. Since that 

 date the total area planted in the Malay States does not amount 

 to 10,000 acres. 



The United Planters' Association in the Malay States have taken 

 pains to go into this queston, and in their latest report they give 

 the following figures : Total acreage planted with rubber in the 

 Straits and Malay States 30,000 acres; Sumatra, 5,000 acres ; Java, 

 5,000 acres ; Ceylon, 25,000 acres ; India and Burma, 5,000 acres ; 

 total 70,000 acres. Allowing that all this is good, and will give the 



