224 



The Singapore estates are much more completely planted than 

 the Malacca estates ; but their planting commenced on the whole so 

 much later that they are less in bearing: indeed their planting mostly 

 dates back to 1909, although the oldest rubber trees in the island 

 are now in their thirty-fifth year. The year 1913, saw the tapping 

 area on several of the estates increased by about 25-J15 per cent., which 

 is an indication that they are rapidly coming into bearing. Just about 

 half of the total acreage in the island under rubber belongs to ten 

 estates ; therefore in Singapore, as well as in Malacca, there is a very 

 large area of rubber in private hands. Privately owned rubber trees 

 in Singapore are often packed away among coconuts and fruit 

 trees, according to an oriental method of averaging the risk, and these 

 •count far less in the long run than properly planted trees. However, 

 all are generally free from pests and plant diseases. 



The ten larger companies hold about 18,260 acres, of which 93 

 per cent, is planted up. 



A cessation from rubber planting appears probable leaving 

 25 per cent, of the land in the island under it. 



Some of the Singapore estates in 1913, had difficulties in realising 

 their estimates, but reached or came very near to them ultimately, 

 though not always without departing from their tapping programme. 



There is a little neglected rubber in the island as there is in 

 Malacca. 



The catch crop — nurse crop of the estates^has of course, been 

 Pineapples, and now has come the time for cutting them out. The 

 result is a planting of pineapples on new land outside the estates, 

 often with rubber ; but the pineapples are more meant than the 

 rubber. 



The year 1913, gave the largest crop of this fruit on record — so large 

 that the canneries could not handle the supply, and offered but fifty 

 cents per hundred for the fruit delivered at their doors. At other times 

 in the year the price was as high as six dollars per hundred, similarly 

 delivered. At fifty cents per hundred it hardly pays to cut the fruit. 

 Some of the factories have not had full success with their machinery. 



The waste goes to feed pigs — mostly to fatten for killing pigs 

 imported lean from Bangkok and the Dutch Indies. 



Tapioca has little hold in Singapore and its largest area in the 

 agricultural statistics of recent years is but 150 acres; it is grown 

 as a vegetable and not for use in mills. 



The last indigo in the island, which was grown as a catch crop on 

 the Bukit Sembawang Estate, is being removed. 



Coconut palms in Singapore, in 1913, gave a very good crop; bul 

 unfortunately they were locally attacked by pests in the later six months, 

 notably by Brachartotta catoxantha in the north-east of the island. The 

 damage done by these insects will tell on the 1914 crop, and the 



