355 



the early part of the year to 5/9 towards the close, the 

 average stated being about 4/3. 



The cost of production is put at l/-to 1/6 so that even 

 though the year was not so good as 1907 the margin of 

 profit was still large. 



Trouble was experienced on most estates during the 

 year owing to the ravages of White-ants (Termes gestroi) 

 and to a fungoid disease well known as Pontes semitostus. 

 These matters received the earnest attention of the Govern- 

 ment Entomologist and Mycologist and an early practical 

 means of cure and prevention is hoped for. 



The yield of rubber trees is, of course, a matter of first 

 importance and in this connection the Director gives some 

 interesting figures. The average yield for 1908 over the 

 whole Peninsula is given at 1 lb. 15f oz., an increase of 

 1 1 ' '< as compared with the preceeding year. 



This he considers to be a satisfactory yield having 

 regard to the fact that most of the trees were being tapped 

 for their first year. In Negri Sembilan the average yield 

 is given as 3 lbs. 2| oz., and this the average yield 

 of nearly a million trees, the Director of Agriculture 

 regards is extraordinary high. Negri Sembilan trees 

 show a higher average than other trees because of their 

 age but the figure in question is satisfactory as showing 

 what may be expected in respect of trees that have been 

 tapped for two or three years. 



In Parit Bnntar an interesting experiment was carried 

 out in connection with the tapping of eight 17 years old 

 trees, which, tapped every other day, gave an average yield 

 of 28| lbs. of dry rubber. 



The labour employed on rubber estates in the 

 Federated Malay States is over 57,000 souls and he 

 divides it up between the four States as follows: — Perak 

 20,082, Selangor 29,513, Negri Sembilan 6,929 and 

 Pa hang 596. Of these labourers 43,515 are tamils, 4,999 

 are Javanese, 1,916 are Malays, and 6,595 are Chinese. ■ 



The health of the labour force improved during 1908 

 owing to the greater attention given to the matters of 

 sanitation on estates and to the opening up of estate hos- 

 pitals for the treatment and care of the sick. A similar 

 improvement is not recorded in the case of the Managers 

 or Superintendents and their Assistants who in many cases 

 suffered severely from Malaria. 



About two-thirds of the area under Coconuts is es- 

 timated to be in bearing, and the value of the whole is said 

 by the Inspector of Coconut Plantations (Mr. L. Brown) to 



