THE MALAY PENINSULA 215 



purpose. The cups used are glass, porcelain, aluminium 

 or other metal, but the two former are preferable. 



By the end of the fourth year, when the estate is 

 yielding evenly throughout, the planter will have 

 thoroughly established his methods of work, and also 

 his connections in Southern India for recruiting pur- 

 poses, if he employs Tamil labour. Similarly, if he 

 prefers Chinese or Javanese coolies, he will have made 

 his arrangements in the proper quarters, and should 

 have no serious difficulty in regard to his annual labour 

 requirements. During the first four years of an estate, 

 the bungalows, lines for coolies, factory and other 

 buildings, should have been erected in accordance with 

 the scale laid down in the estimate already given for 

 the cost of opening up a plantation. The method of 

 the curing and preparation of rubber is given under the 

 description of factories, and need not be repeated. 



On estates averaging six to eight years old, a good 

 tapper will look after 300 trees, tapping daily with 

 three cuts to the tree, collecting the scrap, washing the 

 cups, and delivering the latex and scrap at the factory. 

 On some estates the average is 400 trees per day with 

 three cuts. One estate averaged 420 trees with three 

 cuts per tree. On the majority of estates daily tapping 

 is the rule, but on quite a large number the trees are 

 tapped on alternate days only. Many different opinions 

 are expressed as to the class of labourer most suitable 

 and efficient for tapping. On the estates equally good 

 and bad tapping is done by Tamils, Javanese, Chinese, 

 and Malays. The best work was invariably found where 

 the most competent supervision existed, and it is safe 

 to say that the general standard of tapping on an estate 



