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Proposals and Settlements. 
An area of 80,000 acres has been proposed during the year, of 
which 19,500 acres are mangrove forests near Port Weld, 2,550 
acres near Tanjong Malim for getah taban (gutta perch a), and 
1 o,oOO acres (Tanjong to Allang for timber, all in Perak). In 
Selangor, the Rantau Panjang reserve, 12,000 acres, and Kuang 
reserve, 15,000 acres, were proposed for getah taban, also three 
other areas for timber, aggregating 21,000 acres. In Negri Sem- 
bilan and Pahang no new proposals are yet made, but now that the 
department is bettter off in regard to staff, large areas will be 
added in 1904. 
Sylviculture. 
(a) — Natural Reproduction. 
The Forest Officer, Perak, has nothing to say on this head in his 
report, but he has expressed the opinion that natural re-production 
of the more valuable timber trees is poor. As regards taban (gutta 
percha) it is good. 
In Selangor taban seedlings are reported as plentiful at Rantau 
Panjang and Kuang. No trees were observed to fruit during the 
year, and |r per 100 seeds was offered to Sakais without result. 
Merbau seeded well during the year and the Forest Officer reports 
large numbers of seedlings beneath the parent trees; but it is prob- 
able that the large majority of these will die in the next few years 
owing to overcrowding by other species. Meranti also seeded well 
and is abundant. 
In Negri Sembilan taban flowered during the year and five trees 
were found bearingseed, four of which grew on private land. Seed 
was obtained from one tree on State land and although the h orest 
Officer offered to purchase seed from the other trees the owners did 
not produce any. 
The seed was doubtless eaten by bats and flying toxes. 
In Pahang the natural reproduction of taban is reported as good 
everywhere," both from seed and stumps, and its growth even in the 
densest forests as vigorous. Although but few large trees exist, 
the present state of affairs is very satisfactory, as in the future there 
will be a very regular crop of large trees. Considering that ab- 
solutely nothing has been done in the past to help the regeneration 
of this species, the abundance of young growth is extremely for- 
tunate and shows that taban is better able to hold its own than 
almost any other forest tree. 
With regard to Chengai (Balanocarpus maximus) the Forest 
Officer, Pahang, writes: — 
“ The forests of this species which have up to date been inspected 
(Kuantan), consist without exception of large-girthed, over-mature 
trees, the small-girthed classes being deplorably wanting.” Un- 
der these circumstances and with the demand for chengai steadily 
increasing there is great fear of its ultimate extermination. I have 
personally searched in the Pahang forests all round large chengai 
