1 902 there were about 3 millions of Para rubber trees planted in 
the Malay Peninsula, and calculates that the number of trees being 
exploited in Amazonas would he about 7,500,000 and while those 
of the Malay Peninsula cover an area of 7,000 hectares those of 
Amazonas are spread over 750,000 and draws attention to the ad- 
vantages possessed by the British Colony in the far greater accessi- 
bility of the estates, the sufficiency of labour, the lowness of export 
duty as compared with those of the South American continent. The 
rapid growth of the trees in the Peninsula as compared with that of 
other places especially Sou h America attracts his attention. 
The average girth of 4 year old trees at Batnapura is 55 centime- 
tres, those of Ceylon 38 to 40, measured a metre from the ground. 
1 hose of the Malay Peninsula average 40 to 45 centimetres at from 
3 to 3 1 years of age, and 52 to 60 centimetres at 5 years, and quotes 
M. ClBOT (Journal d’ Agriculture Tropicale) who says that in Ama- 
zonas we do not believe that a tree can attain a diameter of 20 cen- 
timetres in less than 1 5 years. So that the growth is twice as rapid in 
the Malay Peninsula as in the native country of the plant. After an 
account of the methods of raising young plants he proceeds to a 
discussion as to the distances of planting- out, and gives some in- 
structive measurements. A group of trees planted 24 feet bv 24, i.e . 
225 trees to the hectare gave in circumference a total of 124 111. 22 ; 
or about 55 centimetres a tree. A group of the same age planted 14 
by 14 ) 560 trees to the hectare, gave a total of 264 m. 90, per hectare, 
01 about 84 centimetres per tree. Thus though the difference of 
dimensions of the trees is not great, the closely planted trees give 
an area of exploitable bark of nearly double the amount, which is 
strongly in favour of close planting. The tapping of the trees forms 
the next subject of discussion and the details and calculations are 
mostly based on the experiments made in the Botanic Gardens, 
Singapore, by Mr. Machado and myself and those of Mr. Arden 
and of Mr. Willis in Ceylon. 
Para Rubber collecting at Soebang, Java. 
By H. C. Dinet. 
A resume of Mr. Dinet s paper on this plantation which appeared 
in Ieysmannia 1903, No. 8, published in the Revue des Cultures 
Col 0111 ales 1903, p. 308, from which I take the following notes, as it 
ls interesting to compare the results of tapping in Java with those 
1 , ay * enmsuIa ' At Soebang there are 147 trees which were 
planted in 1889-1890, as shade trees for Coffee. The trees are finer 
than at Bmtenzorg, and are at an elevation of 500 feet above sea 
level. I hey are tapped in the beginning of April when the weather 
is successively rainy and fine and the latex flows better than in the 
dry season. i he author notes that the flow is most abundant in 
the early morning up to 9 o'clock, and attributes this to the heat 
and wmd delaying the flow, suggesting that it would increase at 
higher elevations, and that if the trees were shaded so that heat and 
wind would not so easily have access the trees would feel their ef- 
V?7 
