13 
A NEST OF TERMES MALAYANUS WITH MANY 
QUEENS. 
It is comparatively seldom that more than one queen occurs in 
the nest of Termes Malayanus, To find two in the queen’s chamber 
is however not of very great rarity. In a nest found in the Botanic 
Gardens many years ago, five queens were found in one chamber, 
accompanied by five kings. The latter had obviously been fighting, 
as all were damaged by the loss of legs, or parts of legs. Recently 
a nest of the same species was dug up in the Gardens which contained 
no less than 8 queens. The queens were rather small, and were all 
enclosed in the same mud-chamber which was as usual larger than is 
made for one queen. I think this is the largest number ever found 
in one nest. — Ed. _ 
THE WORLD’S FUTURE RUBBER SUPPLY. 
Based on the Report of the Malacca Rubber Plantations, Ltd. 
The report of the directors of the Malacca Rubber Plantations 
Ltd., submitted to the third annual meeting of the shareholders on 
the 26th ult. and adopted unanimously, should provide food for 
reflection for those interested in the probable supply of rubber in the 
not far distant future. 
In this report the directors inform us that “ the time has now 
arrived when they feel justified in passing on to the shareholders the 
carefully prepared estimates of future yield made by the local 
management.” 
These “ carefully prepared estimates ” allow for a production of 
750.000 lbs. in 1910, increasing steadily to 7,500,000 lbs. in the year 
1915 : as there are, according to the report, 2,7 50,000 trees planted on 
15.000 acres, this is equivalent to an average yield of 2.72 lbs. per 
tree or 500 lbs. per acre. 
It is not my intention to criticise these estimates, but, on the 
assumption that they are fair and reasonable, to follow the lead 
which the Malacca directors have given us and to endeavour to 
deduce from them an approximate estimate of the supply of plantation 
rubber, say 5-6 years hence. 
The estimated output for the whole of Southern Asia has been 
put by various authorities at from 25,000 35>000 tons by the yeai 
1914 or 1915 : occasionally someone has had the temerity to suggest 
that the probable output will be much more, but even the estimate of 
35.000 tons has been questioned by those who should be in a position 
to form their own opinion. Let us, however, look stern facts in the 
face, and see how the production works out on the basis allowed by the 
directors of the Malacca Rubber Estates. 
We find in the annual report of the director of agriculture, 
F. M. S„ for 1905, that there were 241,138 acres planted in the Malay 
Peninsula by December 1908 ; while the Ceylon Directory gives the 
area under rubber in that island as 184,000 acres in June 1909 sa Y 
182.000 acres by December 1908, as only 4*000 acres were planted 
during the year ending June 1909. It is not possible to obtain 
accurate figures of the area planted with rubber in other countries 
