488 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



RUBBER m MALAYA. 



_42,SCG 

 9,344 



10,126 



(From Mr. J. B. Carruthers 1 Report.) 

 The rapid progress of the rubber industry in 

 Malaya continued during 1907, and at the end 

 of that year 45,764 more acres of rubber land 

 had been planted, an increase of about 46 per- 

 cent on the total of the previous year. The 

 number of acres of planted rubber on the Hist 

 December, 1907, being 179/227. The number of 

 trees in 1906 was under 13,000,000; and in 1907 

 27,558,400, a large acreage being planted closer 

 than before. The output of dry rubber increa- 

 sed by 144 percent ; 1907 showing an export of 

 2,278,870 lb or 1,017 tons, as against 935,056 lb or 

 417 tons, in the previous year. More than seven 

 times the amount of rubber was exported in 

 1907 than two years before in 1905. 

 Rubber Statistics, Malaya, up to the 31st 

 Dec , 1907. 

 Federated straits 

 IJMalay Settle- 

 states, ments & Johore. Total. 

 iS edah. 



No uf estates 287 65 13 355 



Acreage in 



possessionlHl 2,210 116,549 05,819 020,608 

 Acreage plantedl 



up to 3 1 st Dec, 



1907 128,235 

 Acreage planted] 



during 1907 l| 40,473 

 No of trees 



planted up,i 



to 31st Dec, 



1907 [19,628,957 6,787,216 £i 1,142,196 i 27,553,369 



Rdbber in Federated Malay States. 

 At the end of 1906 there were in the Federated 

 Malay States 85,000 acres, at the end of last 

 year 124,580, an increase of about 46 per cent. 

 There were 10,745,000 trees planted in 1906, and 

 nearly twenty million in 1907. The output of 

 dry rubber was nearly doubled, showing 

 1,028,792 lb., or 459 tons, in 1906, and 1,984,285 

 lb., or 885 tons, in 1907, an increase of 93 per 

 cent. Since January, 1906, the amount of 

 rubber planted has been trebled, and the whole 

 of that large acreage is in a healthy and vigorous 

 condition. 



Rubber Statistics, Federated Malay States, 

 Up to the 31st December, 1907. 



■s * if ^ 



No. of estates 124 114 34 15 287 



Acreage in possession 194183 141032 59631 17364 412210 

 Acreage planted up to 



3lst December, 1907 61552 46167 17656 860 126235 

 Acreage planted during 



1907 19135 16050 4945 193 40743 



No. of trees planted up 



to 31st Dec, 1907 9648093 6648957 3165388 166590 19628957 



In 1897, rubber estates were less than 350 

 acres in extent, 10 years after they had increased 

 by 360 times. In 1902 less than 7,500 acres had 

 been planted, five years after 17 times that 

 amount was under rubber. Nearly all of this 

 land was virgin jungle previously to its being 

 planted with rubber, which had to be cleared 

 before any planting operations could be begun. 

 Nine-tenths of the whole acreage has been 

 cleared and planted by the younger generation 

 of planters, who deserve the greatest credit for 

 the excellent way in which their work has been 

 carried out. The difficulties under which most 



of them have opened up their estates have been 

 many and various : bad conditions of health, 

 both for master and cooly, and steadily rising 

 price of labour owing to local conditions. 

 Yields of Dry Rubber Per Tree. 



The average amount of dry rubber is over the 

 whole Peninsula 1 lb. 12 oz. per tapped tree, 

 exactly the same figure as was recorded for last 

 year. This is most encouraging, as the number 

 of trees which are being tapped for the first 

 time far exceeds those already tapped, es- 

 pecially in Selangor, where the average is 1 lb. 

 7 oz. per tapped tree. 



Experiments are being carried on in various 

 parts of the Peninsula : Perak, Selangor and 

 Negri Sembilan, in regard to yields of compara- 

 tively old trees which have not previously been 

 tapped. In Krian these experiments have been 

 carried out for nearly four months, only half the 

 tappable area of tho trees beiDg used and space 

 being left so that more than three years 

 will elapse, with continuous tapping every 

 other day, before the healed surface will be 

 again reached. The figures for one year will be 

 published in next year's report, but as far as 

 they have gone the yields average more than 



2 lb. per mensem per tree. The trees are planted 

 widely apart round the edges of a graveyard 

 and are about 17 years old. 



There is as yet not sufficient evidence as to 

 what yields may fairly be expected over large 

 areas of trees from 10 to 20 years old, but all the 

 data which we have atpreseut points to the fact 

 that estimates or prophecies of probable yields 

 at these ages will be amply confirmed. 



comparative tables of rubber crops, 



MALAYA, 1906 AND 1907. 



No. of trees Rubber Average 



State. tapped yields lb. yield yer 



1906. 1907. 1906. 1907. tree, 1907. 



lb. lb. lb. oz. 



. f Selangor 364638 772B56 620033 1131086 1 7i 



m . I Perak 67710 132556 94848 272804 2 1 



3 -J Negri 



b Sembilan 91410 240401 146891 586364 2 7 



^-Pahang — — — — — 



.. ("Malacca a7000 12455 al2060 23490 1 14 

 °? i Province 



50 \ Wellesley 20076 48000 al3560 82131 1 11 



Johore 48358 94159 47724 182495 1 15 



Total 599184 1300227 935056 2278870 1 12 



In Province Wellesley is included one estate in Singapore, 

 one estate in Penang and one in Kedah. 



raThese figures are approximate. 



GAIHBIER CULTIVATION IN WEST 

 SUMATRA. 



The Netherlands India Government has taken 

 steps to encourage gambier-growing among 

 the Malays of West Sumatra by giving ad- 

 vances to the cultivators without charging 

 interest. At present the export of the article 

 there averages 12,000 piculs a year against 70, 000 

 piculs in the Residency of Rhio. This Rhio 

 gambier is grown by Chinese and has a good 

 name in the market as dyeing and tanning 

 material. The Government has been advised 

 to engage Chinese planters from Rhio to teach 

 the Sumatra Malays how to grow gambier 

 for the European and American markets. The 

 Malay gambier is grown only for the local 

 market for consumption along with betel leaf. 

 —Malay Mail, Sept. 19. 



