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On my first coming out to the East in 1888, I stopped for a month 

 on the way with Dr. Trimen at Peradeniya, and had an opportunity 

 of seeing the fine Para rubber trees at Heneratgode, and talking with 

 Dr. Trimen about their tapping and the possibilities of a future 

 rubber industry. 



On my arrival at Singapore I found in the Economic Gardens 

 more than ten times as many Para rubber trees than there were at 

 Heneratgode. These had been planted by Mr. Cantley, who, like his 

 predecessor Mr. Murton, had foreseen a future for rubber. 



These trees, however, had been much overgrown with secondary 

 growth, at which no one will wonder when I say that the vote for 

 keeping up the Economic Gardens, about 120 acres, which were al- 

 most entirely overgrown with dense secondary forest, only paid for 

 ten coolies and a mandor. 



As soon as was practicable the rubber ground was cleared of 

 undesirable trees and shrubs, and I and my assistant commenced to 

 examine into the tapping of the rubber trees. 



In these years we had annual Horticultural Exhibitions in Singa- 

 pore, the first of which, after my arrival in 1888, was held in 1889. 

 Besides the exhibition of plants and flowers we always showed speci- 

 mens of new or interesting economic products grown and prepared 

 in the Botanic Gardens, such as tea, coffee, fibres, etc. and always 

 with them were samples of Para rubber from the old trees in the 

 Gardens. I am not sure if there were any on view in 1889, but there 

 certainly were in 1890, when the Duke and Duchess of Connaught 

 visited the show. 



The trees were tapped in the herringbone method and the latex 

 collected in cigarette-tins and allowed to coagulate naturally in the 

 tins without the use of acid. The tins were square, and had a hinged 

 lid which could be closed over the cup to prevent the falling in of dirt 

 as described in the Bulletin of 1897. These tins were bought by the 

 dozen in the bazaar, and used for a long time. One of these small 

 blocks of rubber is preserved in the museum of the Botanic Gar- 

 dens, Singapore, and though quite black it is firm, clean, sound and 

 good though nearly 20 years of age. A piece of rubber made in a 

 saucer, one of the first " biscuits " ( made 1893 ) is also sound and 

 good. But most of these samples were distributed to various institu- 

 tions and to persons interested in it who sent them to their firms at 

 home. 



Needless to state we discovered what is now called "wound 

 response" shortly after we commenced tapping in 1889, but from 

 some Brazilian seringueiros who visited the Gardens later, I found 

 that it was well-known to them, so did not record it as an important 

 discovery on my part. At that time the preliminary tapping before 

 taking the latex on the second day was called " Calling the rubber, " 

 and when samples of rubber were required for any purpose a man 



