AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



STRAITS 



AND 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 



No. i.] JANUARY, 1905. [Vol. [V. 



NOTES ON PLANTING PARA RUBBER 

 IN JOHORE. 



By R. \\7 Burgess. 



HOLLENBURY ESTATE, 



Muar, December 2/st, iyoj.- 



Having during the last seven months had an opportunity of 

 observing various methods of planting out rubber in practice, a 

 few notes on the same may be of interest to those who, like myself, 

 are starting the culture of Hevea Brasiliensis. The three usual 

 methods are, planting stumps, transplanting seedlings, and plant- 

 ing seed at stake. To take first the method I believe to be most 

 commonly adopted, viz^ that of planting stumps. The stumps are 

 pulled up from the nursery when from 6 to I 2 months old, during 

 wet weather, when the ground is well soaked, the leaves, small 

 roots, the end of the tap root and top shoot, are cut off with prun- 

 ing scissors, and the bare stumps are transported in bundles of 

 about 100 to the field in which they are to be planted. Holes about 

 one foot square, and the same depth are dug, (larger or smaller 

 according to the nature of the soil) in the centre of which a small 

 hole is made with a stake, deep enough to take the tap root. The 

 stump is placed in position and the hole filled in with surface earth, 

 and pressed well down with the feet, leaving about three feet of the 

 stump above ground. These stumps appear to retain their vitality 

 fcr many rgonths, even under very unfavourable weather condi- 

 tions. Some that were planted out in April of this year have had 

 to contend with five months of exceedingly dry weather, which 

 set in immediately after planting, during which time there was 

 very little sign of new growth. In some cases, feeble, pale co- 

 loured shoots were thrown out from the top, before the root 

 growth had started. In these cases pruning scissors were used, 

 and the stump cut back, below the false shoot. As soon as 

 weather conditions improved, growth was very rapid, many stumps 

 that appeared quite dead throwing up strong, vigorous, dark 

 coloured shoots from near the root, many of those planted in 



