182 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



The rubber cutrutfor the Federated Malay 

 Rate? in 1911 is returned as 21,809,617 lb., an 

 increase of about 75 per cent, rver that for 1910 — 

 (hat year's figures were 12,563,220 lb, against 

 6,083,493 lb. in 1909. Had it not been for the 

 droug t, to be referred to later, there is every 

 reason to suppose that the 1910 optput would 

 have been doubled. 



The Produce. 

 The acreage producing at the end of the year 

 in the Federated Malay States totalled 105,635, 

 which gives an apprtx mate yield per acre of 

 2 01b. It must be remembered that a good 

 dtal of this is rubber brought into bearing during 

 the year, and that tome of it was tapped for 

 on 'y part of the year. Of the total 105,633 acres, 

 85,579 probably represents rubber planted before 

 31st December, 19U6, and the remaining 20 000 

 about one half (he acreage planted during 1907, 



The percentage increases in the production of 

 rubber lor the Siates is approximately : 



Selangor ... 57 per cent. 



Perak ... 100 



gri Serabilan 65 

 while the P^hang returns shew a total crop of 

 31,1441b. The crop in Selangor is still nearly 

 double that of Perak, which is the next highest 

 State. 



The output for 1911 would doubtless have 

 been considerably higher but for the abnor- 

 mally dry weather experienced during the early 

 part of the year. Conditions were so bad in 

 some districts that teveral estates had to cait 

 their drinking water for estate staff and coolies 

 several miles. Even on estates where this 

 necessity was not felt, the yield of rubber fell 

 off, in many cases from 25 to 30 per cent. 



The total estate labour force for the Federated 

 Malay States is returned at 166,015 as com- 

 pared with 128,446 in 1910, an increase which 

 hardly keeps pace with the increase in acreage. 

 The average works out at rather less than one 

 cooly for two acres. The returns of the Indian 

 Immigration Department show a satisfactory 

 increase in the number of Indian immigrants 

 and a satisfactory decline in the proportion of 

 those returning to India. 



These are only a part of the valuable details 

 Mr. Brain gives in his report. From his 

 chapter on "cultivation" the following are a 

 few extracts: — 



How Close to Plant. 



Discussion still continues as to the best plant- 

 ing distance, though wider planting is finding 



more and more supporters. I do not think that 

 any unpr judiced observer going round some 

 of the elder clearings and seeing the manner in 

 which closely planted trees are crowding their 

 foliage together, are losing their lower branches 

 from light starvation and are failing to renew 

 their bark properly, can fail to come to the 

 conclusion that one hundred trees to the acre is 

 the maximum number that should be allowed. 

 Even if this be reduced to eighty by acciden- 

 tal losses and by diseases and pests, there 

 would still be an ample number to occupy 

 the ground and air. Whether planting 20 

 by 20 feet or 30 by 15 should be resorted 

 to is a matter of convenience in working, and 

 not of fundamental importance. 



Catch Crops. 

 Catch crops are still little in favour and prac- 

 ticallyonly used where it is absolutely necessary 

 to secure a certain amount of revenue before 

 the rubber itself comes into bearing. In the 

 Federated Malay States only 13,382 acres out 

 of a total of 353,974 under rubber are inter- 

 planted, or less than four per cent ; in 1910, 

 the corresponding figure was 13,977 acres or 

 nearly six per cent. Coffee (mostly C( ffV>a ro- 

 busta) accounts for 5,511 acres of the total and 

 is the principal catch crop grown. Over 2,0n0 

 acres are under rubber and coconuts— a parti- 

 cularly unsound mixture of two particularly 

 sound cultivations. Sugar, gambier, tapioca, 

 and pepper probably account tor the greater 

 part of the remaining interplanting. 



In the Straits Settlements nearly 9,000 acres 

 of a total of 80,000 are interplanted, or about 

 11 per cent, as compared with 9,640 aores out 

 cf 60,000 in 1910. In both the Federated Malay 

 States and Straits Settlements there is an actual 

 decrease in the interplanted acreage, not only a 

 proportional one. 



Cover Crops. 

 The Department of Agriculture is Btill experi- 

 menting with a large variety of cover crops, 

 some twenty two species of leguminous plants 

 having been tried at Kuala Lumpur during the 

 year. The ideal to be arrived at is a rapidly 

 growing plant which quickly shades the soil 

 sufficiently to keep down the weeds; it should 

 also have a short life so that within the year it 

 can be cut down, dug in and resown, thus pro- 

 viding for cultivation, improvement of the soil 

 and eradication of weeds. If such a cover could 

 give a product of commercial value at the same 

 time, this would be an additional advantage, 

 but the soil treatment should be the first con- 

 sideration. Some of the plants tried appear to 



