47 



not seen this species cultivated in Malaya. The Sungei 

 Siput district in which the plantation is situated, and 

 being extended, appeared to have a comparatively good 

 soil. 



Rubber in the Federated Malay States. 



We soon passed the last station in Perak (Tandjong 

 Malim), and found ourselves in Selangor. It there is 

 one district more than another which has gained fame 

 for its rubber trees, and has attracted the attention of 

 rubber investors, it is surely Selangor; it certainly pos- 

 sesses some of the oldest and heaviest yielding Para 

 estates known in the world at the present time. Space 

 will not permit me to detail the numerous estates seen 

 from the train, but there is one very large property near 

 Sungei Bulah railway station which appeared to be of 

 enormous length, the parts of which were separated by 

 means of narrow strips of jungle trees. I was surprised 

 to notice not in Selangor alone, but in other parts through 

 which we passed during the day, that very large areas 

 had been recently planted, and new areas were being 

 felled and burned. It struck me that Malaya would 

 not be long before she caught up to Ceylon in planted 

 acreage; the new extensions created mixed feelings. 



Kuala Lumpur to Klang. 



At Kuala Lumpur I had many opportunities of con- 

 versing with the leading planters and bankers. It was 

 a case of Colombo repeating itself. Everybody had over- 

 speculated in rubber, and been landed with more script 

 than they could hold. One or two young estates were 

 on offer for less than actual costs, and up to the time of 

 my leaving did not find buyers. 



I heard of the 30-year-old trees planted at Kuala 

 Kangsar by Sir Hugh Low, some of which measured a 

 considerable time ago from 108 to iii inches in girth. 

 A few years ago the trees were tapped by Javanese 

 coolies, but the results were then considered so trivial 

 that the Governor of the day ordered them to be cut 

 down. That same authority appears to have changed his 

 views, judging from the active interest he now takes on 

 manv boards of directors at home. 



