1 6.5 
m 
Forest Administration in the Native States in 1903, 
This report on the Forest Administration of the Native States in 
1903 has recently been published and shows a great deal of work 
done. We extract from it the following notes of more general in- 
terest : — 
Gutta p ere ha. — A valuable area of 14, 199 acres near Kuang, was 
found to be rich in Gutta percha, and an extension of 5,000 acres 
was proposed at Rantau Panjang, also full of the same plant. There 
is a tree at the latter locality measuring 41 inches at 4-^ feet from 
the ground which has been watched for seed for three years but 
produced none. The trees in Negri Sembiian flowered in February 
and March but produced no seed. In the Trollah reserve, Perak, 
the clearing made in 1902 greatly benefited the young trees which 
range from 24 inches to 25 feet in height. This area is well stocked 
with Gutta percha, but where there are blanks seedlings were 
planted. Plenty of young plants are still to be found all over Selan- 
gor, and many have been planted out in the Gutta percha forests. 
Extraction of Gutta Taban and getah sundik was not allowed 
during the year but as the fact remains that Singapore continues to 
receive large quantities, it is very probable that much still comes 
from the Native States. 
Merbau Afzelia palembanica, is reported to liave seeded plenti- 
fully in Selangor. It seems to reproduce itself readily, but like 
penak ( Balanocarpus maximus ) a large proportion of its seedlings 
do not even reach the sapling stage. Meranti, and Tembusu 
{Fagnuti fragrans) seem to be much more successful in the struggle 
tor existence. (This is interesting as the two lirst mentioned trees 
do not appear to have any special facilities for dispersal of their 
seed, which must fall to a large extent close to the parent tree, and 
all together, whereas Meranti, and Camphor Dryobalanops , also 
mentioned as a good reproducer, possess winged seeds which drift 
to some distance from the parent tree when" falling and Tembusu 
fruit is eaten by birds and bats which pass the seed at some dis- 
tance from the parent tree). Tembusu is mentioned as one of the 
best trees for driving out Lalang, (and certainly does well on the 
old tin mines round Kwala Lumpur), Merbau and Chengal ( Balano - 
carpus) require to be grown with jungle alongside, to keep them 
clean would be fatal. Two hundred and seventy trees of Merbau 
were felled and gave 340 tons of sawn wood. 
T he methods of extracting timber are very primitive, as a rule a 
single buffalo is employed to drag it, there being a prejudice 
against two or more which nothing will shake. In Kwantan most 
ol the heavy logs arc: dragged by Chinese lumbermen over a rough 
track made by laying jungle rollers over large poles at right angles. 
Large logs are sonic times dragged as far as tw r o miles in this way. 
