134 
it stands at $s. 5 \d. In 1905 plantation rubber commenced the 
year at 6.r. o\d., touching 6s. 10 d. in May and finishing up at 65. 2d. 
in December. Fine hard para has also suffered similarly. Starting 
the year at 5 s. 4 \d. it has gone down to 5v. of d. and, as the 
“Times of Ceylon” remarks, ended the twelve months at 5$. z\d. 
In 1905 fine hard para commenced at 5J. id. rose to 5 s. 9 \d. and 
after touching 5.?. 2d. at the end of October recovered to 55-. 5^. 
by the 31st of December. 
Present Value. 
Messrs. Latham & Co., Singapore, have advices to the effect that 
during the current month there has been an improvement in the 
London auction prices, 5/6 to 5/7^ being the quotation on the 4th 
instant, with the market strong; Singapore quotation $285 to $300 
on same date. 
Exports in 1905 and 1906. 
From Singapore (1905) 57,426 lbs. were exported; in 1906 about 
500.000 lbs. From Penang (1905) 29,600 lbs.; in 1906 about 
80.000 lbs. Ceylon exported 89,095 lbs. in 1905, while in 1906 
there was an increase of 1 29,05 1 lbs. 
, (Times of Malaya.) 
GATHERING CAPSULES OF PARA RUBBER. 
The Manager of the North Borneo Trading Company writes from 
Sandakan as follows. 
The North Eorneo Trading Co., Limited. 
Sandakan , January 10th, /go 7. 
H. N. Ridley, Esq, 
Singapore. 
Dear Sir, — Referring to mine of the 1st ultimo, I shall be glad 
to know if the seed contained in the mature but unburst capsule of 
Para Rubber is just as suitable for planting as the seed collected 
after the capsule has burst. 
The pigs eat a great number of the fallen seeds, and large num- 
bers are lost by the seeds being thrown into the river and the * long 
grass on the banks when the capsule explodes. 
If it is feasible to collect from the trees, and artificially open all 
mature capsules with the certainty that the trees obtained from seed 
obtained in this way wjll be just as vigorous, large losses of seed 
could be obviated. 
We are experimenting with a view to learning if the seed thus 
gathered will produce strong seedlings : at present we have not had 
time to judge results. 
I have, etc., 
G. WELMAN. 
