AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 



OF THE 



I STRAITS 



AND 



FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 

 No. io.] OCTOBER, 1905. [Vol. IV. 



THE POSITION OF RUBBER AMONG 

 CULTIVATED PLANTS. 



There are a number of people who from time to time write to 

 various papers to express their fears that Rubber cultivation will 

 soon be overdone and that a terrible collapse must ensue. They 

 usually cite as a precedent the collapse of Cinchona cultivation, to 

 argue from which displays a vast depth of ignorance as to the 

 different values of cultivations to the planter. 



The various cultivations of useful products can be more or less 

 classified into groups, a study of which will show the peculiar 

 advantages of the cultivation of rubber, and the foolishness of 

 comparing it with those of Cinchona. Economic products can be 

 classed into those of everyday use, and those of special use. Pro- 

 ducts of everyday use are those that are used by everyone or 

 almost everyone, everyday, essentials for the existence of modern 

 civilization such are Tea, Coffee, Wheat, Rubber. Products of spe- 

 cial use are those that are seldom used on a large scale, but for 

 which there is a greater or smaller demand, such are Indigo, Gam- 

 bier, Pepper, Vanilla and Drugs. 



The next most important point in the classification of products 

 to look at is the area on the world's surface on which can produce 

 the supply. In the case of plants of special use it is essential 

 that the productive area should be limited. There are many useful 

 plants such for instance as Coca, Croton oil, Arnotto, of which 

 the area in which they can be grown is so large that the supply is 

 practically unlimited' while the demand is small, such plants can 

 only prove remunerative when owing to an overstock, planters 

 have abandoned them and there suddenly occurs a temporary but 

 often good demand. 



Plants of special or limited use whose area whether circumscribed 

 by climate, soil or surroundings is also limited are often very valuable 

 sources of remuneration. Often quite simple accidents will limit 



