355 
the early "part of the year to 5/9 towards the close, the 
average stated being about 4/3. 
The cost of production is put at 1 -to 1/6 so that even 
though the year was not so good as 1907 the margin of 
profit was still large. 
Trouble was experienced on most estates during the 
year owing to the ravages of White-ants (Tenues gestroi) 
and to a fungoid disease well known as Fomes semitostus. 
These matters received the earnest attention of the Govern- 
ment Entomologist and Mycologist and an early practical 
means of cure and prevention is hoped for. 
The yield of rubber trees is, of course, a matter of first 
importance and in this connection the Director gives some 
interesting figures. The average yield for 1908 over the 
whole Peninsula is given at 1 lb. 15f oz., an increase of 
11/ as compared with the proceeding year. 
This he considers to be a satisfactory yield having 
regard to the fact that most of the trges were being tapped 
for their first year. In Negri Sembilan the average yield 
is given as 3 lbs. 2] oz., and this the average yield 
of nearly a million trees, the Director of Agriculture 
regards is extraordinary high. Negri Sembilan trees 
show a higher average than other trees because of tlieir 
age but the figure in question is satisfactory as showing 
what may be expected in respect of trees that have been 
tapped for two or three years. 
In Farit Buntar an interesting experiment was carried 
out in connection with the tapping of eight 17 years old 
trees, which, tapped every other day, gave an average yield 
of 281 lbs. of dry rubber. 
The labour employed on rubber estates in the 
Federated Malay States is over 57,000 souls and he 
divides it up between the four States as follows : — Perak 
20,032, Selangor 29,513, Negri Sembilan 6,929 and 
Pahang 596. Of these labourers 43,515 are tarnils,. 4,999 
aye Javanese, .1,916 are Malays, and 6,595 are Chinese. 
The health of the labour force improved during 1908 
owing to the greater attention given to the matters of 
sanitation on estates and to the opening up of estate hos- 
pitals for the treatment and care of the sick. A similar 
improvement is not recorded in the case of the Managers 
or Superintendents and their Assistants who in many cases 
suffered severely from Malaria. 
About two-thirds of the area under Coconuts is es- 
timated to be in bearing, and the value of the whole is said 
by the Inspector of Coconut Plantations (Mr. L. Brown) to 
