33 
branch being 35 feet. This tree was thought to be about 50 years 
old. The Gutta Percha was extracted by the above mentioned native 
method under the personal supervision of the Superintendent 
of the Botanic Gardens, and yielded only i$ lbs. of Gutta Percha. 
Another tree blown down in 1901., 52 feet high and 42 inches in 
circumference, yielded by the same method lbs. only. Dr. 
Sherman had a tree felled in the Philippines, 160 feet ip height and 
8 feet in circumference, which yielded only 81 lbs., whereas he 
estimated that coulJ all the latex in the leaves and bark have been 
obtained he would have extracted 150 to 200 lbs. 
Other methods of extraction have been tried, e.g., from the leaves 
and bark. The green leaves of the best species of Palaquium contain 
up to 3 per cent of pure Gutta Percha and the bark about 5 per cent. 
A company was started in Singapore whicn, by simple mechanical 
means, extracted Gutta Percha from them, but 1 believe that great 
difficulty was met with in the procuring of sufficient leaves. I be- 
lieve this method. of extraction .could be employed in the native 
States were the necessary plant set up close to the forest. Extraction 
can also be effected from dried leaves by this method,' but there is 
great loss through oxidisation while drying gradually. 
There are also various methods of extraction of the latex by 
chemical means, but I believe I am right in saying that these are 
less satisfactory as regards the produced Gutta Percha. I am very 
doubtful whether extraction from the leaves only, ?>., from leaves 
gathered from standing trees without tapping the tree, would be a 
success from an economical point of view. From what we know the 
best method would seem to be to fell the tree, but to extract- every 
ounce of latex from the bark, twigs and leaves of the felled tree. 
This would not present* any great difficulties. In any case it is 
obvious that the method of collection from leaves only is a most 
dangerous one if carried out by natives as they cut down the young 
saplings in order to reach the leaves, otherwise inaccessible without 
great trouble, whereas were they collecting by their own methods 
it woufd not pay to fell trees °of less than* a certain size. Again 
Palaquium appears to be a very slow growing tree and what effect 
the stripping of some or all of the leaves, even at considerable in- 
ternals would have, is very uncertain. So far the Forest Department 
in the Federated Malay States has not concerned itself greatly with 
methods of extraction, all its energies must for the present be 
devoted to the protection and cultivation of the trees. There is 
ample time m« which to make experiments. Lately some fairly large 
trees have been found in the forests and I intend before long to 
make experiments in tapping the living trees ; it is quite possible by 
tapping the tree from the base upwards to a considerable height a 
good quantity of latex may obtained without seriously affecting 
the vigour of the tree. Of this however I have no great hopes as 
as I have heard that tapping as hitherto attempted has had an in- 
jurious effect, 
I may here mention that from the leaves of P. pustulatum y which 
I sent to Singapore^ but very little Gutta Percha could be extracted, in 
