these limits of age, but because the fungus requires the 

 first few months to obtain a foothold, whereas when 

 the plantation has remained free the first four or five 

 years, it is evident that fungus is not present. 



Palliatives and local treatment of the disease do not 

 help ; the only method of combating exists in clearing 

 up as cleanly as possible ; dead wood miist be dug up, 

 stumps must be taken away as much as possible and 

 burnt, so that there are no sources of infection present, 

 nor means whereby the fungus can extend itself into 

 the soil. During my visits to estates in the lower 

 districts near Klang, I had often occasion to notice how 

 energetically the fight was carried on by the planter. 

 Even in plantations which were two or three years old, 

 all dead wood that remained in the soil and the stumps 

 of heavy trees, were carefully gathered and burnt. In 

 order to protect the Hevea against the heat of the fire, 

 corrugated iron sheets were put into the ground, but 

 not touching the trunk, as this would easily cause 

 damage to the bark, (see fig. 26). The roots of all the 

 trees were examined. Around the infected ones, trenches 

 were dug, the soil was cleared a few feet deep from 

 all wood and the infected, tree was pulled up, and then 

 lime was put into the soil to disinfect it. In the sides 

 of the trenches, the fruiting parts of the fungus were 

 usually to be seen their colour being a brown or orange 

 yellow ; the root bark is thin and easily broken. 



Fungus is certainly, at present, the most dangerous 

 enemy to rubber in the Malay Peninsula. On the other 

 hand, thanks to the information disseminated by the 

 Agricultural Department, we know how to meet it. 

 Aided by the researches and counsels of expert My col o- 



