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gular system of holding Agricultural Shows is, in the Straits Settle- 

 ments and Federated Malay States, I consider worthy of serious 

 consideration. There can be no question as to the importance of 

 such shows from an educational point of view, both to the European 

 Planters and to the Natives of the country, and, as you rightly ob- 

 serve, one of the advantages — the chief advantage I fancy, is that 

 Planters and those they look to for guidance, can meet and consult 

 with one another, while the exhibits will form very good food for 

 discussion. 



Evidently the first thing to be done is to form a Committee, 

 which should represent the various planting centres in the Straits 

 Settlements and the Federated Malay States, and whose chief 

 duty would be to decide from time to time, in what district the 

 show should be held and at what intervals; but the nomination of 

 this Committee must be left to other hands. 



Hoping to draw some expression of opinion from the Planters 

 themselves. 



I am, 



Yours, &c, 



S. A. 



A Standard for Measuring Para Rubber Trees. 



Malacca, nth December, igoi. 



To the Editor, 



Agricultural Bulletin. 



Dear Sir, 



Might I suggest that in measuring the girths of trees if measure- 

 ment were made at a Standard height of 4' 6" from the ground it 

 would add greatly to the value of measurements recorded by 

 planters and others and sent to the Bulletin for publication, 4' 6" 

 from the ground is the height universally adopted at home, in 

 India and on the Continent, i.e. breast height. I have myself taken 

 hundreds of measurements in Germany in this manner, and was so 

 instructed by Sir DIETRICH Brandis, former Inspector General of 

 Forests in India. It is impossible to compare one set of measure- 

 ments made at 3 feet from the ground with others at different 

 heights. In Burma Teak trees are measured at a height of 6 feet 

 from the ground, because most teak trees have buttresses which 

 would give a false measurement of the tree were the girth taken 

 lower down, by false I mean misleading. If other trees with but- 

 tresses be measured at 6' from the ground and all others at 4/ 6" 

 we would have a Standard on which to have comparisons. 



Yours sincerely, 



A. M. BURN-MURDOCH, 



Chief Forest Officer. 



