210 



THE BIG RUBBER TREE, SINGAPORE. 



With the first number of the second volume of the " Agricultural 

 Bulletin of the Straits and the Federated Malay States," 

 1903, a plate was published showing on the right, most of the oldest 

 rubber trees of the Botanic Gardens, Singapore. Those v,^hich can be 

 seen, counting from the extreme right, are numbers i, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 

 and 9 of the Gardens' trees : No. 6 and 8 stand a little back, and are 

 not recognisable in the plate. The dimensions of the boles of these 

 trees in the end of 1902, are given on page i. 



Death has spread down the line from No. 5, which was blown 

 over and died in 1905. Between 1905 and 1909 No. 4 died. In 1910 No. 3 

 died. And now the largest of all, No. 2 is dead. Fomes semitostus 

 seems to have been the cause of the trouble ; but none of its 

 fructifications have appeared. 



The trees were received as seedlings in Singapore in the year 

 1877, and were planted out in their present place soon after their 

 arrival. They began to seed in 1881. It seems (Bulletin, ix, 1910, 

 page 213) that some of the trees were tapped as early as 1889. It is 

 recorded (Bulletin, ii, 1903, page 112) that between 1893 and 1902, 

 they were very heavily tapped on various occasions ; but it is probable 

 that we should not now call the tapping which they had heavy. 

 Tree No. 2, was tapped again as follows : — 



18 times between March 26th and May 2nd, and, May 20th 

 and June 6th, 1903 



17 times between January 23rd and February 28th, 1905, by 

 herring bones as a member of a group of trees called 

 " Experiment VII." 



"^2) times between January 22nd and June Ist, 1906, by spirals, 

 yielding 14 lbs. jM ozs. of dry rubber and I lb. 8 ozs. ot 

 scrap. 



24 times between November 2nd and November 2Sth, 1906, 

 by spirals ; but the weight of the rubber is not recorded. 



26 times between January 7th and February 6th, 1909, by 

 spirals, yielding more or less 8 lbs. 7 ozs. of dry rubber. 



54 times between September 6th and October 4th, and, between 

 November Ilth and December 6th, 1 909, by spirals, yield- 

 ing 14 lbs. 3^ ozs. of dry rubber. 



37 times between January 2nd and February I2th, 1913, by 

 spirals, yielding II lbs. of dry rubber. 



29 times between December l8th, 1913 and January 30th, 1914, 

 by spirals, yielding 7 lbs. of dry rubber in sheets, I lb. of 

 clot and 2 lbs. of scrap. 



