37 
considerable area is unnecessary. Here we resort only to improve- 
ment fellings transplanting young plants into blanks only where- 
ever necessary. The improvement fellings consist in clearing away 
undergrowth interfering with young Palaquium plants, the operation 
being repeated yearly or once in several years as may be necessary. 
By this means the rate of growth of the young trees is greatly 
increased. J have found the effect of this process to be very bene- 
ficial, even in the two years since it was started. By such simple 
methods as these it is hoped in a few years to have a very 
considerable area of young Palaquium trees* about 40 to the acre. 
One advantage in this system is the freedom from the attacks of 
insects to which trees grown in pure plantations are liable. A 
similar area to that in Selangor exists in Malacca, but the plants 
are put in closer together and were obtained from Sumatra. 
Similar plantations exist at Bukit Timah in Singapore and at Batu 
Feringhi in Penang, but on a small scale. 
UP— Methods of Extraction. 
The latex of Palaquium exudes immediately on tapping, i. e., cut- 
ting the bark, and consists of a milky looking white fluid, in young 
trees rather thin, it coagulates very quickly and turns in the case 
of “Taban me rah ", P, gutta , a light pink colour when hard, This 
is doubtless due chiefly to the fact that the under side of the bark of 
this species is reddish and small pieces of the bark get mixed up 
with the latex while it is being rolled off. The rapid coagulation 
and the fact that the tree only bleeds for a very short time from the 
cut, are at the root of the disastrous system "of extraction of the 
latex, viz., by felling the tree, tapping the living tree as with Para 
rubber, being it was supposed impracticable. 
The native method is to fell the trees and to cut ring-like incisions 
round the fallen trunk at intervals of about 9 to 12 inches or even 
less. These are quickly, filled by the latex, and in about half an 
hour the pure Gutta Pereha can be rolled off on sticks. The product 
is then boiled and shaped as desired, but many impuribesare in- 
cluded such as chips of wood, bark/ dirt, etc. 
This processes of course ver/ wasteful, as a good deal of late” 
falls to the ground ; tffe latex which is contained immediately under- 
neath the cut and touching the ground is also inaccessible. Again 
the Gutta Pereha contained in the leaves and remaining bark and in 
the twigs is not collected, and as will be seen later on this is a verv 
considerable amount. 
The same method is applied to Getah sundik, Payena Leerii 
which produces a very white Gutta Pereha. Extraordinarily little 
Gutta Pereha is produced by this means. 
Dr. SHERMAN, in the Philippines/ estimated that only ' - of the 
total quantity contained was extracted by natives, and from other 
experiments it is said to be certain that not more than -h is ob 
tained. 10 
In Penang in 1900 a tree was felled 39 inches in circumference at 
5 feet from the ground, with a height of 55 feet, height to the first 
6 /iS 
