435 



Batu Tiga is now worked entirely by Javanese, they 

 work well and seem to suffer less from fever than the 

 Tamils. 



Draining. — The contour drains, for the protection of 

 the steep slopes, have now been completed and remain in 

 good order. 



Roads. — The plantation is now also well opened up by 

 roads and paths, which make any part easy of access. 

 About 120 chains have been traced and cut during the year 

 including a path through the arboretum. 



Crops. — The various experiments, initiated in 1907 and 

 in the present year, have made good progress. 



Rubber in all stages is doing well. Fruit trees have in 

 most cases made fairly good growth. Green manures or 

 cover plants have been largely experimented with during 

 the year; details of which are furnished below. 



Rubber. — Hevea braziliensis (Para rubber). The old 

 rubber trees have remained in good health, three trees were 

 lost through white ants and one tree was attacked by a fun- 

 gus which caused large quantities of latex to exude. This 

 disease has been referred to the Government Mycologist 

 for investigation. No tapping was done owing to the delay 

 in equipping the Curing House which was not ready at the 

 end of the year. 



Selected Seeds. — The plot, 3^ acres, planted in 1907 

 with stumps, the result of seed from specially selected trees, 

 has done well, all trees have made good progress, the aver- 

 age height is 11 feet 5f inches, average girth at three feet 

 from the ground 3f inches. 



Seeds Sown at Stake. — The experiment, initiated in 

 1907, of planting seeds at stake and from nursery at various 

 ages was continued, and further batches were put out dur- 

 ing 1908 as per plan detailed in my report for last year. 



The seeds sown at stake are making excellent progress 

 and show clean and healthy growth. 



It looks at present as if the trees from seed sown at 

 stake would reach a tappable size at least a year earlier 

 than stumps transplanted from nursery buds. 



The averages of height and girth are as follows : 



Experiment 2/07 A. — Seeds sown at stake, October, 

 1907. Average height, 10 feet 6 inches ; average girth, 3 $ 

 inches. 



Experiment 2/07 B.— Seeds sown in nursery, ( )ctober, 

 1907. Planted out in December, 1907. Average height, 9 

 feet 3^ inches; average girth, 2 T % inches. 



