7 8 



RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON 



In the meantime several warm invitations had come to me from 

 planters up in the "States'' to visit them and have a look at their rubber. 

 I therefore decided to go up to Selangor, where as far as I could judge, 

 I was likely to see rubber that would typify what that part of the world 

 could produce. Not that the oldest Hevea was there, indeed some one 

 told me, I do not remember whom, that the largest and oldest Hevca 

 trees in the Federated Malay States were destroyed by mistake some 

 years before. It seems that a former official ordered some Dyak ser- 



VIEW ON THE PLANTATION OF THE SELANGOR RUBBER CO., FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



["Hevea and "Ficus" interplanted.] 



vants to tap the trees and they, supposing that the flow of latc.v would 

 be immediate and abundant, as it is with the Ficus, and finding the case 

 the reverse, reported that the trees were barren. They were, therefore, 

 cut down, much to the subsequent regret of all. 



The boat that was to take me to Selangor is known as the Sappho, 

 and in order to get aboard of her you order a gharri to be at the hotel 

 at three o'clock in the afternoon and the man will come at one 'and try 

 to charge you for the two hours' wait. He doesn't really expect to get 

 the extra pay, however, and will respect you more if you don't give 



