213 
The rubber was coagulated with juice of the moon-flower ( Iqomoea 
bona-nox. 
The rainfall from Mr. Harvey’s meteorological returns for 12 
years averages 90 inches, the heaviest falls being from July to Sep- 
tember, from 12 to 20 inches (July), the lowest May and April, 1 inch. 
The temperature varies from 55 to 100 (May), but the extreme mini- 
mums are not of frequent occurrence, but occur about six times in the 
season, being caused by winds coming south from Saskatchewan. Of 
soils he says that Castilloa will not thrive on a stiff clay soil nor on 
low lying swampy lands. From these notes it will be seen how en- 
tirely different the cultivation, tapping soil, and climate for Castilloa 
from that which is found best for Para Rubber. — Ed. 
Extracts from the Administration Report on the Settlement of Malacca 
for the year 1910, 
CROPS. 
The padi crop in the Central District and Jasin District was not 
good. The reasons assigned are a certain amount of disease in the 
nurseries and lack of rain at ploughing time. In the Alor Gajah 
District the crop was late ripening, but reported to be heavy where it 
escaped the ravages of rats. These rodents are very destructive in 
some mukims. The fruit crop was fair. In the latter part of the 
year there was quite a quantity of musim salah fruit, (fruit at the 
wrong season.) 
Tapioca and Gambir. 
Decrease in the cultivation of tapioca continues and in all cases 
it is a preliminary to or interplanted with rubber. The price was 
good and the planters found it profitable to import “ roots ” from 
surrounding countries and manufacture tapioca— the price of refuse 
for pig feeding was specially high. The export figures less import 
totals show a drop from 140,000 pikuls to 133,000 pikuls. The 
quantity of gambir produced and exported was almost exactly the 
same as the year before. Many planters think gambir as a catch 
crop to rubber is harmless, and in very dry weather the shade to 
young rubber is thought to be beneficial. Tapioca, on the other hand, 
is agreed to be more exhausting to the soil and to retard the growth 
of rubber, it has further been found an active source of fomes. 
Rubber. 
The quantity of rubber exported increased from about 2,500 piculs 
to 6,700 piculs with values of $807,000, and $2700,000, respectively. 
The cultivation of the product continued throughout the year with the 
greatest vigour, and labourers were able to obtain very good wages. 
In the spring and early summer 75 cents and $1 a day were being 
paid to Chinese weeders and tappers. Towards the close of the year 
