114 



THE INDIA RUBBER ^VORLD 



[January i, 1907. 



PROGRESS OF RUBBER PLANTING. 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



THE eighth annual report of the planters' association 

 of Negri Senibilan shows that at the end of 1905 

 there had been planted 6491 acres in Para (Hevea) 

 rubber and 263)4 acres to " rambong " (Fiats). 

 Much of the ParS is planted on lands formerly devoted to 

 coffee, the production of which is being given up, and the 

 Ficus is mostly in connection with cocoanuts. 



At a shareholders' meeting of the Highlands and Low- 

 lands Para Rubber Co., Limited (London, October 12), Sir 

 Frank A. Swettenham, k. c. m. g., in the chair, it was 

 stated that the company '.s prospectus, issued some months 

 before, was based upon a probable yield this year of 65,000 

 pounds of rubber, to sell at an average of 5 shillings. The 

 actual quantity produced to the end of September was 76,160 

 pounds, and the price realized for what had been sold was 

 more than 5^-. They had raised the estimate for the year to 

 108,000 pounds. The prospectus mentioned 1958 acres 

 under rubber. An additional 1000 acres will be planted 

 during this business year and the same acreage is planned 

 for ne.xt year. A dividend is expected, on a capital of 

 /3io,ooo [=$1,508,615]. 



The first annual report of the Federated I\Ialay States 

 Rubber Co., Limited, presented at the shareholders' meeting 

 at Antwerp on October i, showed a net profit of 67,093.75 

 francs [=812.949.10], out of which was recommended a 5 

 per cent, dividend on 1,250,000 francs of the company's cap- 

 ital. When the companj' was formed the property taken 

 over embraced 85,000 rubber trees of different ages, and con- 

 siderable later planting has been done. During the year 

 13,222 'i' pounds of rubber was gathered and sold at an aver- 

 age of 55. ()d. [=;Ji.39>>sJ per pound. The plantation is in 

 the state of Selangor and under the management of Mr. E. 

 B. Skinner, who has been identified with rubber planting 

 for a number of years. The directors of the company in- 

 clude several rubber merchants in .Vntwerp Mr. Ed. Bunge 

 being chairman of the board. 



An official warning has been given, in the Federated Malay 

 States, that the government will not tolerate the acquisition 

 of valuable areas of land b}' persons whose onlj- intention is 

 to utilize it for their own immediate profit by the promotion 

 of over capitalized companies, for planting rubber and the 

 like. This is reported to have checked unsound financial 

 development. 



The old Hevea rubber trees at Penang, tapped for the tenth 

 consecutive year, at the age of 19 years, yielded 4 pounds 

 12;^ ounces of drj- rubber, or a total of 31 pounds 9 ounces 

 from the beginning. The average yearly yield was 3 pounds 

 2 ounces per year, and it is believed by those in charge that 

 by tapping oftener a larger yield could have been gained. 



The falling off in the production of tapioca and the conse- 

 quent rise in price has directed attention to the advisability 

 of planting tapioca as a "catch crop " in connection with 

 Hevea rubber. A good catch crop is desirable, on account 

 of the length of time necessary for rubber to mature. Mr. 

 H. N. Ridlej', of the Singapore botanic gardens, has evi- 

 dence both for a^d against planting rubber and tapioca to- 

 gether, and invites fuller information. 



]\Ir. E. W. Main, of Kew Gardens, has been appointed 

 superintendent of the government plantations at Batu Tiga, 

 Selangor, in place of Mr. vStanlej' Arden, resigned, and 

 doubtless will continue the important series of experiments 

 in rubber formerly carried on by Mr. Arden. 

 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON. 



Thk Consolidated Estates Co., Limited, of Ceylon, who 

 have added rubber to their tea interests, sold during the last 

 business year 5534 pounds of plantation rubber for/1331 75. 

 6r/., or an average of 4.?. 9 J/ af. [=$1.17 cents] per pound, for 

 all qualities. More rubber was planted during the year, and 

 additional land for rubber acquired. This year's rubber crop 

 is expected to reach Sooo pounds. 



The highest prize for Ceylon grown rubber at the Perade- 

 uij'a show was awarded to the Duckvs^ari Tea Plantation Co., 

 Limited, in Rangala district. There are 832 acres in tea, of 

 which 800 are planted also in rubber, besides 35 acres in 

 rubber alone. The company is capitalized at ^20,000 and 

 has offices in London. 



The sale is reported of Dickhena estate, in the Bentota 

 district, Ceylon, embracing 137 acres, full}- planted in rub- 

 ber, 2 years old. The e.xact price is not given, but is believed, 

 however, to be 45,000 rupees [=$15,000, gold], or about $1 jo 

 per acre. 



The area available for rubber in Ceylon is now regarded as 

 much larger than before the rubber exhibition. The first 

 prize for Ceylon rubber went to Duckwari, and was grown 

 at an elevation of 2600 to 3000 feet, and if they could grow 

 profitable rubber at that elevation, it opened up a larger area 

 for cultivation than had been supposed. 



An increase in the London brokers' orders for the pur- 

 chase of plantation rubber shares not only at home but for 

 clients in Ceylon and the East generally, sa3's The Home 

 and Colonial Mail, is attributed to the interest aroused by 

 the recent rubber exhibition at Peradeniya. 



On request of the director of the royal botanic gardens, 

 in relation to showing foreign and other visitors over typi- 

 cal rubber estates during the rubber exhibition, the Kegalla 

 Planters' Association designated for this purpose two — Yata- 

 deria and Ambadeniya estates — to be open to all visitors 

 introduced by the secretary of the Exhibition. Yatailcria, 

 owned by the Yataderia Tea Co. of Ceylon, Limited, has 

 1049 acres in tea and 250 in rubber, besides about 90,000 

 rubber trees in tea. At the end of 1902 thej' had 55,000 

 rubber trees of all ages, and thej* began tapping in 1904. 

 Ambadeniya, owned by the Ceylon (Para) Rubber Co., Lim- 

 ited, is devoted to rubber alone, having now 720 acres 

 planted. 



Mr. Gustave Van den Kerckhove, the rubber expert of 

 Brussels, contributed to the recent Ceylon Rubber E.xhibi- 

 tion a map of Africa, with photographs showing the various 

 native methods of coagulating rubber. 



Rubber stealing is beginning to figure in police court 

 cases. At Kandy a man charged with stealing rubber bis- 

 cuits from Nilambe estate was sentenced to six months 

 rigorous imprisonment. At Singapore a Malaj' convicted 

 of stealing rubber from an exhibit at the agri-horticultural 

 show was sentenced for two months. 



