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trees  and  have  not  succeeded  in  finding  a single  large  seedling  or 
sapling  of  this  species.  The  feeble  natural  regeneration  of  hard- 
wood trees  in  evergreen  forests  is  a danger  that  cannot  be  over- 
estimated and,  so  far  as  1 know,  is  one  of  the  most  difficult  prob- 
lems that  the  forester  has  to  face.  Experience  in  tropical  ever- 
green forests  is  very  limited,  the  bulk  of  the  Indian  forests  being 
deciduous,  much  less  crowded,  and  having  conditions  more  suitable 
to  natural  regeneration  of  valuable  species. 
[h) — Artificial  Reproduction. 
In  Perak,  15  acres  of  waste  mining  land  were  planted  with  Ficus 
elastica  (rambong).  1 he  merbau  plants  in  Pondok  Tanjong  show 
good  growth,  but  chengai  is  slow.  I he  total  cost  of  maintaining 
the  area  of  441  acres  was  ^^6,935,  or  Si  5 per  acre,  but  this  includes 
cost  of  planting  15  acres. 
In  Selangor,  blanks  in  the  Circular  road  Plantation  were  planted 
up  and  a lire  trace  10  feet  wide  made  round  block  5 and  part  of 
block  I.  About  22  cart-loads  of  night  soil  were  deposited  per  day 
throughout  the  year  in  this  plantation,  which  is  planted  with  casua- 
rin.i,  tambusu  (Fagra^a  fragrans),  glam  (melaleuca  leucodendron) 
and  Eugenia  grandis.  The  cost  of  maintaining  this  plantation  was 
$938,  total  area  (89  acres,  or  about  $5  per  acre  10,713  seedlings 
were  planted  out  during  the  year. 
(c)  — Cultural  Operations. 
In  Perak,  40  acres  were  cleared  of  undergrowth  at  the  Waterfall, 
Taiping,  to  assist  the  young  taban. 
The  cost  of  above  and  upkeep  of  original  area,  30  acres,  was 
•5c655.  In  Trollah  (Batang  Padang)  100  acres  were  cleared  of 
undergrowth  at  a cost  of  tjj>2,559  or  1^25  per  acre.  The  result  is 
most  satisfactory,  aiul  the  area  cleared  is  found  to  be  full  of  young 
getah  taban  trees  of  the  best  species  (Palaquium  gutta). 
In  SeUngor,  in  the  Rantau  Panjang  reserve,  200  acres  were  sys- 
tematically gone  over  at  a cost  of  §1,983,  lines  4 feet  wide  being 
cut  through  the  area  33  feet  apart  and  young  taban  seedlings 
planted  in  these  lines  30  feet  apart — i.e.,  40  to  the  acre.  These 
seedlings  are  taken  out  of  the  forest  near  at  hand,  planted  in  a 
nursery  and  put  out  as  soon  as  they  are  strong  enough. 
Eight  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-one  seedlings  were 
planted  out,  and  3 119  dead  seedlings  replaced  by  new. 
'Transplanted  from  the  forest  into  nurseries  2,646.  Only  4 per 
cent.  f)t  plants  removed  from  the  forests  to  the  nurseries  and  then 
planted  out' failed,  whereas  about  20  per  cent,  failed  when  planted 
direct  into  the  lir.es,  without  being  first  kept  in  the  nursery.  This 
bears  out  Mr. Curtis’s  opinion  on  this  subject. 
{d) — Kxp  eriments. 
Burcliard’s  system  of  reproducing  taban  was  successfully  tried 
in  S(dangor — viz.,  by  laying  a seedling  on  the  ground  partially 
cov(wed  over,  from  which  new  sh(')Ots  sj)ring  up  vcrticallv,  and  cut- 
