597 



Lumpor plantation suffered a good deal from malarial fever — this was 

 due no doubt, in a great measure, to the freshly felled clearings. 

 Dysentry was prevalent during the early part of the year, hut prac- 

 tically disappeared when the water supply was laid on and the coolies 

 ceased using that from the adjacent wells. So bad did the malady 

 become at one time that water had to be carted from the town pend- 

 ing the laying of the pipe. There has also been a considerable amount 

 of fever at Batu Tiga. 



SWETTENHAM KOAD PLANTATION. 



This plantation (48 acres) which was opened in the latter part of 

 1898 by the Forest Department and planted with — 



Hevea brazilensis (Para rubber) ... 1,278 trees planted 18' x 18 

 Swietenia macrophylla (Mahogany) ... 1,499 ,, 6' x 6 



Dryobalanops -camphor a (Malayan camphor) 490 6' x 6 



Dichopsis gutta (Getah taban) ... 75 ,, — 



was handed over to the Agricultural Department in the end of 1906. 

 The area of the plantation was increased during 1907 to about 120 

 acres by taking in surrounding land. 



. Felling and Clearing. — The work of felling the portion in front of 

 the Agricultural Offices (about 40 acres) was commenced in February, 

 the work being done departmentally by Tamil coolies at a cost of 

 §9.50 per acre. 



As soon as this area was burnt off there was good demand for the 

 timber, which was quickly removed ; all subsequent fellings were 

 done by contract at $5 per acre, the contractors removing the timber 

 on payment of duty to the Forest Department. In this way 2,843 

 carts of firewood were removed realising $852.79. 



Draining. — Owing to the steep slopes on the land a large 

 number of contour drains are necessary to prevent the soil being 

 washed away ; as each piece of ground is opened up drains are cut. 

 It was also found necessary after the destruction of the lalang, with 

 which they were badly infected, to cut drains through the old rubber 

 plots. In all, 146 chains of drains have been cut. 



Roads. — Sixty-one chains of roads have been traced and cut out. 



Hevea Braziliensis {Para rubber). — There are at present on the 

 plantation 900 tappable trees, with an average girth of 29j inches at 

 three feet from the ground. 



No tapping could, however, be undertaken during the year owing 

 to the want of a curing house. A plot, 31 acres, was planted on hill 

 land, 12V x 25', with stumps, the result of seeds taken from specially 

 selected trees — i.e., trees that showed exceptionally good growth and 

 that yielded good latex. The trees from which the seeds were taken 

 were selected on different estates. 



In October a batch of selected seeds was obtained from old trees 

 in Taipeng, of these 150 holes were sown at stake, two seeds in each ; 

 holes being made 12V x 25'. In almost every case both germinated, 

 while in only two instances was there a complete failure. 



If good seeds from old trees can be obtained this method of 

 planting is, I believe, the cheapest and best, particularly if the work 



