3 2 9 
Cost of Tapping. 
I consider that a man capable of using a knife and chisel smartly, 
after sufficient practice, could tap 4 trees in an hour, and suppos- 
ing the hours best suited for tapping be limited to 5 hours per 
diem, say 6-9 a, m. and by 4-6 p. m., an average of 15 to 20 trees 
could be tapped in a day. This would leave 3 hours for collecting 
and other details. At an estimate of 2 ozs. of dry rubber per tap- 
ping, and price and exchange at 2/-, the cost of tapping and 
collecting would be about 16 cents per lb at a rate of pay from 30 
to 40 cents per diem. 
Ficus Elastica (Rambong). 
Two trees of this rubber were tapped in the manner described 
in last year’s report and 20 lbs. of dry rubber obtained. These 
trees are about 12 years old, but one is growing on hard laterite 
soil and is not a robust tree. There are only 4 large trees of this 
rubber in the garden and these have now yielded 70 lbs. of rubber 
between December, 1900 and January, 1901. 
A few hundreds of seedlings have been raised but so far I have 
not received an application for any. It would be an easy matter 
to produce thousands if required. There has been some enquiry 
for seeds 
R. DERRY. 
19 April, 1902. 
PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION OP 
COFFEE. 
The French Consul in Brazil, in a report on the state of trade in 
that country, states that there is an over-production of coffee 
throughout the world, and that in Brazil there is a tendency to 
restrict the area of cultivation. He says that in the year from July 
1, 1900, to June 30, 1901, the total production of coffee throughout 
the world was 15,460,000 bags of 132 lbs. each, and that of this 
quantity 11,500,000 bags were grown in Brazil, 1,150,000 in Gua- 
temala, Costa Rica, Mexico, and Nicaragua, 1,050,000 in Venezuela, 
Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, 480,000 in the Dutch Indies, 450,000 
in Hayti, 315,000 in British India and Ceylon, 200,000 in Puerto- 
rico and Jamaica, and 90,000 in Padang. He estimates the con- 
sumption at 14,1 17,620 bags, leaving an excess of production at 
1,342,380 bags. 
Ex. Weekly Edition , “ Ernes”. 
April 11, 1902, 
SOME REMARKS ON RUBBER PLANTATIONS. 
We are inclined to look upon the rapidly increasing interest 
which is being taken in the rational exploitation of rubber districts, 
and in the starting of rubber plantations as a sign of hopeful augury 
»/ltf 
