AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 
OF THE 
STRAITS 
AND 
FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 
No. io.] OCTOBER, 1905. [Vol. IV. 
THE POSITION OF RUBBER. AMONG 
CULTIVATED PLANTS. 
There are a number of people who from time to time write to 
various papers to express their fears that Rubber cultivation will 
soon be overdone and that a terrible collapse must ensue. They 
usually cite as a precedent the collapse of Cinchona cultivation, to 
argue from which displays a vast depth of ignorance as to the 
different values of cultivations to the planter. 
The various cultivations of useful products can be more or less 
classified into groups, a study of which will show the peculiar 
advantages of the cultivation of rubber, and the foolishness of 
comparing it with those of Cinchona. Economic products can be 
classed into those of everyday use, and those of special use. Pro- 
ducts of everyday use are those that are used by everyone or 
almost everyone, everyday, essentials for the existence of modern 
civilization such are Tea, Coffee, Wheat, Rubber. Products of spe- 
cial use are those that are seldom used on a large scale, but for 
which there is a greater or smaller demand, such are Indigo, Gam- 
bier, Pepper, Vanilla and Drugs. 
The next most important point in the classification of products 
to look at is the area on the world’s surface on which can produce 
the supply. In' the case of plants of special use it is essential 
that the productive area should be limited. There are many useful 
plants such for instance as Coca, Croton oil, Arnotto, of which 
the area in which they can be grown is so large that the supply is 
practically unlimited while the demand is small, such plants can 
only prove remunerative when owing to an overstock, planters 
have abandoned them and there suddenly occurs a temporary but 
often good demand. 
Plants of special or limited use whose area -whether circumscribed 
by climate, soil or surroundings is also limited are often very valuable 
sources of remuneration. Often quite simple accidents will limit 
