420 
Malacca, but has failed to grow at all in Singapore. Aegle marm- 
elos fruits there constantly but fails here.* The Cola-nut (Cola vera) 
has flowered in the Botanic Gardens, but has grown poorly and 
never fruited. Trees in Johore Bahru and Batu Pahat, have flowered 
and fruited heavily. Though the soil appears similar and there 
does not seem to be any climatic difference, I have never heard of 
its being successful in any other part of the Peninsula. 
{To be continued .) 
HANDY METHOD OF MEASURING 
GIRTH OF TREES. 
Those who have to spend time in taking measurements of the 
girth of rubber and other trees will find the following method con- 
siderably shorten their labours. 
Take a piece of strong, tough paper or highly glazed calico one or 
one and a half inches wide and measure it out into inches and feet. 
I have found the prepared tracing paper or cloth used in plan 
making very good for this purpose. 
Begjn the measurement a little way from the end of the tape and 
through the one inch line put a strong large drawing pin folding the 
rest of, the tape over and if necessary stitching it to keep the fiat 
head of the drawing pin in place. 
The measuring tape is now ready for use and if the girth of trees 
are to be measured the procedure is as follows : — 
Place the measuring tape round the tree overlapping it and press 
the' drawing pin into the tape where it crosses again. This will leave 
a clean round hole in the tape the length of which can either be 
recorded at the time or else if an average is required the tape can 
be taken home and the number of holes at different distances 
reporded. 
The smallness of the diameter of the pin, about i/qoth of an inch 
reduces the possibility of two measurements falling into one hole 
to a minimum I have found that even when many hundred readings 
are taken all the holes can be deciphered. 
J. B. CARRUTHERS. 
THE NEW PATENT DUCHEMIN FIBRE 
MACHINES. 
From time to time attention is directed to the great possibilities 
of our fibre yielding plants such as Ramie, Mauritius Hemp, Sisal 
Pine-apple, Bananas etc., the great drawback hitherto experienced 
