The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



CEARA RUBBER TAPPING 

 DIFFICULTIES IN SO UTH GOORG. 



13th Jan. — Tapping of large old Ceara trees 

 that are to be found in the district, as also those 

 of later plantings which have reached the mini- 

 mom tappable girth, has been in progress since 

 November last m most cases. In one it was com- 

 menced somewhat earlier. Various methods of 

 tappingand knives are being experimented with, 

 with a view to arriving at what is best suited to 

 the trees. The yields of rubber have been very 

 encouraging, but some of the older trees have 

 fallen victims to the bamboo weevil in spile of 

 every effort to prevent injury to the cambium. 



Now that the Ceara rubber is reaching the 

 tappable stage, some arrangements will have to 

 be made for securing larger supplies of intel- 

 ligent labour. Mr Anstead, the Scientific Plan- 

 ting Officer, during his recent visit here has re- 

 vived the interest in leguminous weeds which 

 he aroused by his lecture at the last meeting of 

 the U. P. A. S.I. There are a good many shrubs 

 of the order about, but what is required is a 

 weed, and we are all on the look out for one. 

 — Madras Times. 



RUBBER AND T APIOCA. 



(To the Editor, " Straits Times.'') 

 Sir, — I have read with interest your article 

 on the Sedenak Rubber Estates flotation : you 

 are quite right in doubting the value of the 

 contract with Sit Keng Saick : the company 

 will lose by it. It is stated that by the time 

 two crops of tapioca are out of the ground the 

 rubber trees should be 3 to 3& years old : quite 

 so, but what will the growth of the trees ho 

 like ? I leave it to anyone to answer this ques- 

 tion, who has seen rubber and tapioca growing to- 

 gether on an estate under Chinese management. 

 How long after the rubber is planted, is the 

 tapioca to be put in '? At least 6 months should 

 be allowed ; otherwise the rubber will be 

 choked by the tapioca. I notice that the cost 

 of production is put down at §5'85 per picul of 

 tapioca : if this is correct, 1 can assure the 

 shareholders there will be no 10 per cent, pro- 

 fit for them : the cost of production should be 

 nearer §3. I know of an estate in Malacca, 

 where a contract was given out on similar terms 

 as to weeding, etc., but the lessee had to pay 2"> 

 per cent, of the gross proceeds of the tapioca 

 sales to the company : even then it was found 

 after six months that he was "scamping* his 

 work, neglecting weeding, etc., and the contract 

 had to he cancelled. Those parts of contracts 

 look very well on paper : but never work out 

 well in practice. Further, during the time the 

 tapioca crop is in the ground : it is impossible 

 to keep a proper look-out on the rubber trees, 

 and check certain diseases, which affect the 

 Para rubber tree, especially in heavily tim- 

 bered land, such as I understand this to be. £10 

 to £12 an acre for felling, burning and clearing 

 seems a bit "thick 1 ': the proper rate should 

 be £2 at the outside. Who is to get the pro- 

 ceeds from sale of the tapioca refuse ? This 

 should be worth a good deal, considering the 

 situation of the estate. — I am, Yours, etc., 



Malacca, Jan. 5. Sawny. 

 —Straits Times, Jan. 10, 



INDIA RUBBER MARKET REPORT 

 FOR 1909. 



(Gow, Wilson <£* Stanton, Limited.) 



SALES. — The quantity of Plantation Rubber, 

 which passed through the auctions during the 

 year U' der review, aggregated 50,(i02 packages 

 (2,684 tons), as compared wish 24,647 packages 

 (1,2954 tons) for the year 1908. The rate of in- 

 crease since 1906 is shown in the table given 

 below ; and the course of the market during the 

 last four years is given in a chart [Not repro- 

 duced.— Ed. CO.] 



The average price for all grades of Plantation 

 Rubber for the year has exceeded that of 1908 

 by 2s 5 5-Sd per lb. 



Table showing total quantity and average price 

 of Plantation [lubber offered at auction in Lon- 

 don during the htst four years : — 



Quantity in tons. 



r 1 » 



Packages Ceylon. Malaya. Total. 



offered. 







1st Jan to 31st Dec, 1906 6,462 



H8£ 



250J 348J 



Do IW 15,380 



1924 



62 h 814 



Do 19'8 '24,647 



290 



1.005J l,2»oi 

 2,262 2,684 



Do lv09 f0,6u2 



432 





Packages 



Average 





sold. 



price, 

 s. d. 



1st Jan to 31st Dec, 1906 



4,130 



6 6}d 



Do 1907 



7,->88 



4 9 5-8 



Do 1908 



16,018 



4 1| 



Do 1909 



40,817 



U 7 3-8 



MARKET CONDITIONS.— At the beginning 

 of the year the conditions which ruled during the 

 earlier part of 1908 had been reversed: whereas 

 the stocks and visible supply of all descriptions 

 had then been on an unwieldy scale and prices 

 abnormally depressed, from the end of 1908 a 

 steady curtailment of supplies was taking place 

 in all markets with a corresponding advance in 

 values. The demand for the raw article, which 

 was active at the beginning of the present year, 

 became steadily stronger, until during Septem- 

 ber and October thehighest prices ever recorded 

 were reached, in the case of Hard Fine Para 

 9s 2d having been paid and 9s 8£d for Fine 

 Plantation Smoked Sheet. The arrival at the 

 South American ports of shipment of larger sup- 

 plies during November re-acted on the price 

 and caused a set-back to the extent of approxi- 

 mately 2s per lb. from the highest point. During 

 the latter part of December the market has been 

 more active with a strong recovery of prices. The 

 very marked indications of increase in the con- 

 sumption of rubber in face of adverse conditions 

 have been a noticeable feature of the period 

 under review. This tendency is likely to be 

 maintained, especially in view of the remarkable 

 expansion which is taking place in the Motor 

 Industries all over the world. 



PLANTATION RUBBER— has engaged a 

 large and increasing measure of attention 

 amongst manufacturers, and it may already be 

 said to have assumed an important position in 

 the world's markets, although the quantity 

 produced is still perhaps 



ONLY 6 PER CENT OF THE WORLD'S PRODUCTION. 



Consumers now generally realise that a con- 

 siderable quantity will be available in the 



