6i 
CORRECTIONS  AND  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE 
HISTORY  OP  THE  INTRODUCTION 
OF  PARA  RUBBER. 
Readers  of  last  bulletin  will  note  that  on  page  2,  line  37,  and 
page  3,  lines  10  and  28  a g,  has  been  printed  accidentally  for  a 7 
the  dates  being  1873,  1877  and  1876  respectively,  the  context  how- 
ever sufficiently  indicates  this;  also  that  the  inverted  commas  be- 
ginning on  line  37  page  2,  have  dropped  out  after  the  word  “perished” 
on  page  3. 
His  Excellency  Sir  Frank  SwETTENHAM  who  calls  my  attention 
to  these  misprints  writes — “ It  is  nowhere  stated  a matter  of  some 
importance  in  a real  history  of  the  introduction  etc.  that  in  1884 
I then  acting  as  Resident  in  Perak  collected  400  Para  seeds  of  the 
then  single  tree  in  bearing  planted  them  in  a box  where  399  ger- 
minated and  were  planted  out  bv  me  on  the  banks  of  the  Kangsar 
river.  I believe  over  200  of  these  trees  are  still  there  and  they  have 
supplied  Federated  Malay  States  planters  with  hundreds  of  thou- 
sands of  seed  for  a good  many  years.  ■” 
I may  add  to  th  ' previous  paper  that  the  first  lot  of  seeds  re- 
corded as  sent  out  from  the  Botanic  Gardens  in  Singapore  were 
sent  to  Sarawak,  December,  26th  1882,  and  next  to  the  Resident 
Councillor,  Malacca,  and  Resident  of  Selangor  June  8th,  1883. 
RAMIE. 
Editor. 
My  note  on  ramie  in  the  May  number  of  the  Bulletin  elicited  in 
subsequent  numbers  two  interesting  letters  from  Mr.  BaxeNDALE, 
and  one  from  Mr.  Anderson.  As  further  information  on  this 
subject  is  desirable  I have  been  in  correspondence  with  the  latter 
gentleman  and  sent  him  a parcel  of  ribbons  stripped  by  hand  from 
the  fastest  growing  and  tallest  variety  we  have  in  cultivation  here. 
I gather  from  his  letter  that  “ Black  Ramie”  is  not  a term  applied 
to  all  ramie  ribbons  but  to  one  particular  kind  which  he  considers 
to  be  the  form  we  have  in  cultivation  here  and  which  I sent  him  to 
experiment  on.  Although  the  yield  in  clean  fibre  in  this  variety 
is  less,  and  the  cost  of  preparing  greater  than  in  others,  the  greater 
yield  per  acre  might  possibly  counter-balance  thisl^  This  is  a point 
to  be  worked  out  and  I now  propose  sending  a sample  of  another 
kind  which  I feel  sure  will  give  a better  percentage  of  clean  fibre 
but  it  never  attains  to  anything  like  the  size  or  length  of  the  one 
already  sent.  Later  on  1 will  give  the  approximate  yield  per  acre 
8:c.  but  for  the  present  will  be  content  to  place  before  the  readers 
of  the  Bulletin  Mr.  Anderson’s  two  letters  on  the  subject  contain- 
ing as  I think  they  do  some  suggestions  worthy  of  consideration. 
C.  CURTIS, 
Superintendent  of  Gardens  and  PP rests. 
(Letter  No.  1.) 
Dear  Sir, — I received  your  interesting  letter  and  sample  of 
Ramie  by  last  Mail  which  proves  to  my  mind  tliat  you  are  in  the 
