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trees of a given age is almost entirely wanting. Large trees old 

 enough to produce seeds are exceeding difficult to find, and the 

 largest I know of are those in Penang which fruited last year. 

 The largest of these is 56 in. in circumference at rive feet from the 

 ground, but there are several others that measure between forty 

 and fifty inches; and are 50-70 feet high. Compared to most 

 other trees Palaquiums are slow growers and of 1,000 young plants, 

 two years old from seeds, the tallest is not more than two feet 

 high ; and at Kwala Kangsar there is a tree which is known to 

 have been planted eighteen years ago the height of which is 

 twenty-five feet and the circumference at three feet from the 

 ground 24 in. In the Encyclopaedia Britannicait is stated that the 

 yield of a tree 30 years old and 30-40 feet, high is from 2 3 lbs., 

 and that a full grown tree sometimes measures 100-140 feet, to its 

 first branch with a circumference of 20 feet, at fourteen feet from 

 the ground and may yield 50-60 lbs. of gutta. In order to obtain 

 some definite information on this point a tree measuring 39 inches 

 in circumference at 5 feet, from the ground and 55 feet, high with 

 a clean stem to a height of 35 feet., at which point it had a circum- 

 ference of 28 in. was cut down in Penang in November 1900 and 

 the gutta collected under my personal supervision, and the result 

 was lbs., of gutta percha. The annual rings showed that 

 this tree was over 50 years old. What the age of a tree 20 

 feet in circumference at 14 feet from the ground would be 

 can be inferred from this, but it is doubtful whether any 

 such tree at present exsists. A second experiment made in 

 190 1 on a tree that was blown down in the Forest reserve 

 Penang which was 52 feet high and, 42 inches in circumference at 

 the same height from the ground yielded one and one third of a 

 pound only. Palaquium trees are found growing from sea level up 

 to close on 3,000 feet, generally in damp ravines and not far from 

 streams ; often among masses of boulders in places where there is 

 little soil but abundant moisture. Attempts at cultivation were 

 made in Singapore as early as 1 848, when no less than seven 

 plantations were started there, but one by one they were abandoned 

 and it is doubtful whether a single tree now remains to mark the 

 spot. Quite recently attempts have again been made by private 

 owners in Sumatra and Johore, both of which I have seen. The 

 former was commenced about four years ago and a good number 

 of trees are growing, but in the latter which started later practically 

 none remain. There is little doubt that in the earlier stages of 

 growth partial shade is necessary, and that failure in the past was 

 largely due to the attempt to form plantations in the open with full 

 exposure to the sun ; but in any case, and under the most favour- 

 able conditions, the rate of growth is too slow to make the cultiva- 

 tion, a profitable business for private individuals. The extraction 

 of gutta from the leaves is now practicable, but it has yet to be 

 proved to what extent the trees will stand plucking and the quan- 

 tity to be obtained. From information received I believe that most 

 if not all of the leaves that have been brought into the market from 

 Borneo and Sumatra are from trees that have been cut down in the 



