DUTCH  GOVERNMENT  PLANTATION  OP 
GUTTA  PERCHA  AT  TJEPETIR. 
o 
In  the  Bulletin  for  July  the  Government  Gutta  plantations  at 
'rjt^jeiir  are  referred  to  (page  327). 
the  courtesy  of  IIkER  SpaKI.KR,  the  Cor.‘^ul-G«*neral  for  the 
Netiierlaiuls  in  Singapore  and  Dr.  Tkomi^  DE  HaAS  of  Buitenzorg, 
I have  li'ceiuly  been  afforded  an  opportunity  of  visiting  this  plant- 
ation. I am  also  indebted  to  Heek  A.  F.  \):i  Xeve  who  was  good 
enouirh  to  ro  round  with  me. 
o o 
The  area  reserved  for  this  plantation  is  about  6ooo  acres  situ- 
ated in  the  hill  country  near  the  Safah  and  (jede  volcanoes.  The 
elevation  is  over  2,000  feet  above  the  sea.  It  is  about  an  bourns 
drive  from  Tjebadak,  a station  on  the  main  line  some  two  hours 
from  Batavia. 
The  soil  is  e.xcellent — a rich  volcanic  loam  in  which  anything 
would  grow,  riie  surface  is  undulating — in  some  places  the  slopes 
are  stt  ep. 
Roughly  about  i^coo  acres  have,  so  far  been  planted,  d'he  oldest 
trees  are  some  17  years  old,  and  these  appear  to  be  over  30  feet  in 
height,  d'he  planted  area  is  now  being  increased  at  the  rate  of 
some  300  or  600  acres  a year.  Seed  is  obtained,  I understand, 
fiom  the  Government  plantations  at  Poer  Wokarta  and  grown  in 
nurseries.  There  were  90,000  plants  in  the  nurseries  at  the  time 
of  my  vis  t.  These  young  plants  are  handed  over  to  natives  when 
8 or  9 mon  hs  old,  and  p'anted  by  them  in  lields  of  hill  padi  or 
Indian  corn,  20  feet  a’part. 
These  people  contract  with  Government  to  clear  the  land  and 
to  plant  and  maintain  the  Dichopsis  oblongifoliiim  plants  for  3 
years  at  8 guilders  a bauw  (2  acres).  They  get  what  they  can  off 
the  land  by  their  padi  crops  as  well. 
After  3 years  the  plantations  pass  into  the  charge  of  Government* 
About  I cooly,  I think,  is  employed  for  every  8 acres. 
The  trees  in  all  stages  look  extremely  healthy\  They  are  not 
grown  under  shade  at  all — some  were  pointed  out  to  me  as  having 
suffered  from  the  effects  of  shade,  which  has  now  all  been  re- 
moved. 
I'he  chief  enemy  of  the  young  trees  is  a moth,  Rhodeneiiya 
mytaca,  the  caterpillars  of  which  destroy  the  young  shoots  at  the 
extremities  of  branches. 
(jreat  care  is  taken  to  prevent  the  planting  out  of  hybrid  plants. 
Seed  is  brought  from  known  and  isolated  trees,  and  any  plant 
showing  signs  of  hybridization  is  removed  from  the  nurseries 
before  it  is  2 months  old.  One  cooly  was  in  charge  of  the  nur- 
series of  90,000  plants. 
