844 
THE  TROPICAL  AGRICULTURIST. 
[June  i,  1897, 
JiRlTISH  NORTH  BORNEO  NOTES. 
Telegra])li  communication  with  Saiulakan  lias 
been  opened  as  far  as  Sinogal  bojmnd  Tanioi,  on  tlie 
Ivinabalangan,  since  the  early  jiart  of  March. 
As  Me.-jsrs.  .‘Vpphn  and  lieynolds  are  on  the  spot, 
we  may  expect  very  shortly  to  hear  that  it  is 
extended  considerably.  Mr.  Reynolds  has  opened 
the  Eastern  Section  as  far  as  imbok. 
Rhea  has  been  found  growing  in  abundance 
at  Koyah  and  a large  sample  has  been  asked  for 
to  transit  to  the  Court  at  home.  It  appears  to 
be  R/tcrt  (or  Jloluncria)  nivea. 
Three  line  specimens  of  orchids  are  on  view 
at  Messrs.  John  Little  & Co.’s,  says  the  Siwja- 
rtore.  Free  Press.  There  is  a Deruf  Phal  var.  Hololeum 
which  IS  said  to  be  worth  £5U,  there  being  but  one 
other  plant  in  England.  An  Angrcwciuti  Scs<iui- 
peddle  from  Manila,  and  a line  Cyp.  Sanderia- 
mim  from  Sarawak  with  ten  flowers,  are  also 
shown  by  Mr.  J.  A.  Pereira.  It  is  somewhat 
remaikable  that  wliile  Central  Borneo  and 
Sarawak  abound  in  orchuls  of  great  beauty  and 
variety,  the  species  found  in  North  Borneo  are 
comparatively  few  and  insignilicant. — British  North 
Borneo  Ucrald,  April  1. 
ECONOMIC  CURIOS. 
The  following  are  verbatim  extracts  from  note- 
books of  students  in  economic  botany  which  were 
submitted  to  a well-known  lecture  as  an  indica- 
tion of  the  progress  of  his  class: — 1.  “Catechu 
is  used  in  diairluca,  likewise  to  open  and  clean 
throats.”  2.  “Absinthe.  It  has  been  juoved 
that  a man  who  uses  this  liipieur  in  a great 
abundance  is  able  to  loose  his  mind  soon.” 
3.  “ Collee  is  pupped  (pulped)  in  a machine.”  4. 
“Liberian  collee  was  tliought  that  it  would  with- 
stand the  insect  ravishes.” — Chemist  and  Driiii- 
yist,  April  21. 
THE  RUBBER  FORESTS  OF  THE 
HU  KONG  VALLEY. 
The  report  of  Mr.  II.  N.  Thompson,  Assistant  Con- 
servator of  Forests,  on  the  Hukong  Valley  and  Upper 
hlamkong  basin,  contains  much  interesting  informa- 
tion on  the  fauna  and  flora  of  that  region.  As  Mr. 
O’Bryen  pointed  in  his  report  a few  years  ago  on  the 
rubber  forests  of  Upper  Burma,  the  tree  in  the  Hukong 
Valley  is  not  a gregarious  one.  Mr.  Thompson  tells  us 
that  it  -appears  scattered  generally  through  the  dense 
evergreen  forests,  but  nowhere  does  it  reach  the  den- 
sity per  acre  of  an  average  teak  forest.  “ Occasional- 
ly, a family  group  of  four  or  five  trees  may  be  mel 
with  ; these  are  very  rare,  indeed,  and  the  usual  thing 
is  to  come  across  a mature  tree  every  200  or  300  yards 
in  the  richer  forests.”  At  the  headwaters  of  the  Nain- 
kong  Chaung  the  average  was  not  cpiite  one  large 
tree  to  every  two  acres.  When  tlio  tree  is  surround- 
ed by  dense  shade,  to  get  to  the  light  it  grows  to 
enormous  heights,  and  some  of  those  seen  by  Mr. 
Thompson  were  the  largest  trees  of  any  species  he 
bad  ever  seen.  So  exacting  is  its  demand  for  light 
that  no  seedlings  were  in  the  soil,  but  were  invari- 
•ably  growing  at  a great  height  from  the  ground  on 
other  irees.  A few  illustrations  show  the  young 
seidling  growing  “ u|)  the  sti  m of  its  host,  encircling 
the  latter  with  its  aerial  roots  and  sending  them 
downwards  towards  the  ground  till  they  form  groat 
supports  on  which  the  main  trunk  of  tho  lig  stands  ; 
meanwhile  the  host  is  gradually  killed  off  and  eveir- 
tually  disappears  altogether  and  the  rubber  tree  is 
left  standing  on  five  or  six  even  more  thick  aerial 
roots.”  The  licun  eloslica  appears  to  bo  able  to  ac- 
commodate itself  to  many  varieties  of  soil,  and  appa- 
rently grows  best  at  a considerable  altitude.  Thus, 
Mr.  Thompson  rcconU,  it  grows  in  abundance  on 
Loimaw  lull  at  an  altitude  of  b,03U  feet,  and  is 
I'eportediu  various  other  high  altitudes  in  that  region. 
The  Kachins  say  it  does  not  grow  where  there  is 
snowfall,  but  this  seems  doubtful. 
The  tract  north  of  the  Tanaikha  is  still  the  richest 
in  the  valley  but  the  dillicultics  of  transport  are 
increasing  as  the  more  accessible  trees  hnve  been 
worked  out.  Here  a Chinaman  Law  Law-kha  has 
a practical  monopoly  of  the  market.  (Jn  the  spot 
the  price  of  rubber  is  two  rupees  per  viss.*  A few 
years  ago  a trade  route  was  started  across  the  moun- 
tains to  Myitkyina,  but  the  trader  who  opened  it  was 
murdered,  probably,  Mr.  Thompson  thinks,  at  Law 
Lawkha’s  instigation,  and  the  blackmail  levied  by  the 
Sana  Kacliins  has  killed  the  trade  on  that  route. 
Some  of  the  rubber  around  the  soirthern  basin  of 
the  Tanaikha  is  supposed  to  be  taken  down  the 
Chindwin  to  Chindat,  but  this  seems  doubtful.  The 
natural  and  shorttst  route  is  down  the  Nampyu  to  lla 
and  Palawbum  and  thence  by  mules  to  either  Laban 
or  Tiugring,  and  so  by  boats  and  mules  to  Kamaing 
and  Mogaung.  W'ith  regard  to  the  output  of  this  tract, 
i.e.,  from  the  forests  lying  at  the  sources  of  the 
Nampyu  to  the  west  of  Maingkhwan,  Mr  Thompson  says 
it  is  very  difficult  to  estimate  it.  No  reliable  in- 
formation can  be  obtained  from  either  the  Singphos 
or  the  Chinese  traders  employed  in  buying  it,  as 
both  parties  are  interested  in  keeping  the  real  state 
of  affairs  dark.  Of  course  the  usual  cry  is  that  the 
forest  is  getting  worked  out,  that  they  have  now 
to  search  for  indiarubber  at  great  distances  from 
the  lines  of  export,  and  that  consequently  the 
duty  levied  by  us  ought  to  be  reduced.  The  fact, 
however,  still  remains  that  the  local  Sawbwas  have 
in  no  way  whatever  reduced  the  tax  levied  by  them 
on  rubber  collected  in  their  districts  or  passing 
through  to  other  places.  I questioned  four  of  the 
most  influential  Chinamen  living  at  Laban,  and  who 
are  agents  of  the  large  Bhamo  and  Mandalay  firms, 
as  to  the  out-turn  from  this  portion  of  the  valley 
during  the  present  season ; but  their  statements 
were  so  very  conflicting  and  contradictory  that  no 
reliance  whatever  could  be  placed  in  them,  and 
under  such  circumstances  it  would  be  misleading  to 
give  any  figures As  a single  instance  of  the 
contradictory  statements  given  by  the  Kachins,  I 
may  say  that  they  informed  me  repeatedly  that  the 
yield  of  a large  unworked  indiarubber  tree  in  one 
season  does  not  exceed  ten  viss — a very  different 
figure  from  that  usually  given,  and  which  of  course 
is  too  low--,  as  [ have  personally  seen  about  double 
that  quantity  extracted  from  a large  tree.”  The 
rubber  forests  at  the  headwaters  .of  the  Namkong 
Chaung  are  rich  in  rubber.  The  tree  grows  in  abun- 
dance along  the  banks  of  the  smaller  streams  and  is 
also  frequently  met  with  on  the  higher  slopes  of  the 
hills.  On  these  hills  Mr.  Thom))sou  found  the  jiats 
elasticu  attaining  as  great  a height  as  200  feet  and 
a girth  round  the  outside  of  the  aerial  roots  of  100 
to  130  feet. 
The  only  forest  produce  collected  in  the  tiacts 
examined  by  Mr.  Thompson  appears  to  bo  rubber,  and 
the  Kachins  from  far  and  near  come  in  to  collect  it 
in  the  dry  season.  “ During  my  visit  to  the  Upper 
Namkong  and  Namsong  basins,  1 twice  came  across 
‘ octrois  ' built  on  the  edge  of  the  streams  by  Siug- 
phos  from  I'alawbum  and  the  Amber  mines.  Toll 
on  all  rubber  brought  down  these  streams  from 
their  headwaters  was  collected  at  these  stations  and 
none  was  allowed  to  pass  unless  this  tax  was  paid. 
It  was  usually  taken  in  kind  and  amounted  to  much 
as  ten  per  cent,  the  collectors  having  to  ])ay  ten  viss 
for  every  hundred  collected  by  them.  The  Singphos 
from  the  llukong  Valley  must  ha\  c known  that  they 
were  jioachiiu;  in  thcB-.'  forests,  us  they  decamped  as 
soon  as  they  heard  of  my  arrival.”  One  local  viss,  it 
seems,  is  equal  <o  one  and  a half  standard  viss,  so  the 
Chinamen  mu.-ic  make  a very  good  thing  out  of  it. 
The  Chinamen  of  the  district  are  all  engaged  in  the 
rubber-trade.  “ Great  (juantities  of  rice,  silk  pasos, 
gauugbaungs,  etc.,  und  stores,  aie  kept  by  them  and 
sold  to  the  Kachins  (at  ruinous  rn.tes)  wlio  pay  the 
price  of  the  goods  in  indiarubber.” 
J A visa  3-(;r)  lb. 
