172 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



Seeds were later received in large quantities 

 from Oeylon, and when the Kwala Kangsa trees 

 began to fruit Sir Hugh Low sent seeds from 

 them back to the Singapore Gardens for distri- 

 bution. 



Although the plant grew so well, planters 

 could not be induced to take it up, and owing 

 apparently to a report that it produced no rub- 

 ber, the few people interested in rubber turned 

 their attention to Castilloa and Ceara rubber. 

 But practically with the exception of Mr. T H 

 Hills' estate, there were no plantations of Para 

 rubber till Tan Chay Guan commenced to plant 

 in Malacca. 



In 1897, however, the high price of rubber and 

 the low price of Coffee stimulated the interest 

 of planters and a rush was made for the seeds. 

 At the same time planters in all parts of the 

 tropics sent for seeds and plants and attempted 

 to grow the plant everywhere with varying suc- 

 cess. In many countries it seems to have proved 

 a failure, the climate being unsuitable. 



In the Malay Peninsula it appears to have 

 been more successful than in almost any other 

 country both in rapidity of growth and produc- 

 tion of rubber and the only thing to be regretted 

 is that planters did not take up the cultivation 

 ten years ago. 



And finally, from the issue of June, 1910, of the 

 same Magazine, we extract from a Paper en- 

 titled "Historical Notes on the Rubber In- 

 dustry," as follows : — 



When history is written, even of such a sub- 

 ject as the story of discoveries and invention 

 connected with the rubber industry, it is advis- 

 able that it should be not only complete but 

 accurate. We are led to this observation by 

 reading certain articles in the recent numbers of 

 the "India Rubber Journal" and "IndiaRubber 

 World" and Dr. Willis' "Agriculture in the 

 Tropics.', In these papers the incompleteness 

 and inaccuracy lie in the account of the so- 

 called re-discovery of wound-response, which it 

 was first claimed was an original discovery by 

 Messrs Willis and Parkin, in 1899 ; but later as 

 a re-discovery of a phenomenon known to the 

 Amazons seruigueiros and some other points. 

 The discovery that the second and later tappings 

 of a rubber tree produce a greater flow ol latex 

 than the first is one that no one can possibly 

 overlook who taps a tree consecutively for a 

 few days running and notes the result. 



In the " India Rubber Journal - ' of March 21, 

 1910, an account is given of an article in "Science 

 Progress," by Mr Parkin, who visited Ceylon in 

 1899, but unfortunately did not visit Singapore, 

 where he would have found not only a much 

 larger collection of rubber-producing plants, 

 and a much greater number of Fara rubber trees 

 of good size, but also that experiments in rubber 

 tapping had been carried on for ten years pre- 

 viously, and that the phenomenon of wound- 

 response had been known for many years. 



One is glad to see that he mentions the woik 

 done by Dr. Trimen, and the interest he tools in 

 the possibilities of profitable cultivation of 

 Hevea Braziliensis ; for Dr. Trimen, has not of 

 late years received the share of credit for his 

 work in this matter and in other agricultural, 

 horticultural and botanical work th&t was due 

 Jo him. 



On my first coming out to the East in 1888, 1 

 stopped for a month on the way with Dr. Trimen 

 at Peradeniya, and had an opportunity of seeing 

 the fine Para Rubber trees at Heneratgoda, and 

 talking with Dr. Trimen about their tapping and 

 the possibilities of a future rubber industry. 



On my arrival at Singapore I found in the Eco- 

 nomic Gardens more than ten times as many 

 Para rubber trees than there were at Henerat- 

 goda. These had been planted by Mr Cantley, 

 who, like his predecessor Mr Murton, had fore- 

 seen a future for rubber. These trees, however, 

 had been much overgrown with secondary growth 

 at which no one will wonder when I say that the 

 votefor keeping up the Economic Gardens, about 

 120 acres, which were almost entirely overgrown 

 with dense secondary forest, only paid for ten 

 coolies and a mandor. As soon as was 

 practicable the rubber ground was cleared of 

 undesirable trees and shrubs, and I and my 

 assistant commenced to examine into the tap- 

 ping of the rubber trees. In these years we had 

 annual Horticultural Exhibitions in Singapore, 

 the first of which, after my arrival in 1888, was 

 held in 1889. Besides the exhibition of plants 

 and flowers we always showed specimens of new 

 or interesting economic products grown and 

 prepared in the Botanic Gardens, such as tea, 

 coffee, fibres, etc., and always with them were 

 samples of Para rubber from the old trees in 

 the Gardens. I am not sure if there were any 

 on view in 1889, but there certainly were in 1890, 

 when the Duke and Duchess of Connaught 

 visited the Show. The trees were tapped in the 

 herringbone method and the latex collected in 

 cigaruttetins and allowed to coagulate naturally 

 in the tins without the use of acid. The 

 tins were square, and had a hinged lid 

 which could be closed over the cup to pre- 

 vent the falling in of dirt as described in the 

 Bulletin of 1897. These tins were bought by the 

 dozen in the bazaar, and used for a long time. 

 One c;f these small blocks of rubber is preserved 

 in the museum of the Botanic Gardens, Singa- 

 pore, and though quite black it is firm, clean, 

 sound and good though nearly 20 years of age. 

 A piece of rubber made in a saucer, one of the 

 first " biscuits " (made 1893) is also sound and 

 good. But most of these samples were distribu- 

 ted to various institutions and to persons inter- 

 ested in it who sent them to their firms at home. 



Needless to state we discovered what is now 

 called " wound response " shortly after we 

 commenced tapping in 1889, but from some 

 Brazilian seringueiros who visited the Gardens 

 later, I found that it was well-known to them, 

 so did nut record it as an important discovery 

 on my part. At that time the preliminary tap- 

 ping before taking, the latex on the second day was 

 called " Calling the rubber," and when samples 

 of rubber were required for any purpose a man 

 was sent to " call the rubber " two or three days 

 beforehand. At this date, twenty years since 1 

 commenced tapping the rubber trees, I cannot 

 remember when I actually discovered the wound- 

 response for myself, 



Many planters and agriculturists, and Dr. 

 Trimen himself, visited the Gardens iu these 

 early days, and the advantages of rubber as a 

 crop was urged on them. They were shown the 

 trees, system of tapping and specimens, and thq 



