365 
produced in great quantities when the tree does fruit and 
germinate readily. Very often a large percentage of the 
seed are b/arren. 
The rkhe of growth is very slow in Shorea leprosula 
and the ofhdr species and having few data as to its rate of 
growth wp dan only roughly guess the age of the large tree 
m the illustration; but judging by the rate of growth of 
joung trees we should say that this tree is considerably 
over 100 (years old with a girth of 10 ft. 3 ins. at 4 ft from 
the base. I 
Diiriiig a severe thunderstorm last February this tree 
was stfccfe by lightning the bark being sfplit from the bole 
for a leailb of 60-70 feet. As would be expected the tree 
has nbl Recovered from the shock and at the present is 
almost entirely dead. 
^ °f this. tree to the Gardens is unfortunate as 
it was die hnest specimen we possessed, and was a constant 
object o|r admiration and enquiry from visitors. 
T. W. Main. 
RCTBBER PLANTING IN BRITISH NORTH 
BORNEO. 
4 the end of 1908 there were in British North Borneo 
ten Companies planting nil, her. The total area of land 
owned, by these companies is 87,000 acres excluding the 
North Borneo Trading Company’s properties of 94,000 
acrcsl ot which approximately 0,000 acres were planted up 
with Para Rubber. 1 
The Commissioner of Lands in his Report on Agri- 
cnitme for 1908 states that Sekong, the only estate which 
has reached the productive state, was sold in June of that 
Rnhhmhw fl orth . Born ?o Trading Coy. to the Sekong 
miobei Coy., the price paid being £40,000. 
govern her of the same year the Government estate 
Ruhwflr T mi 1 ' £25 ’-° 00 t0 the North Borneo State 
Rubbei Goj ., Ltd. This price would seem to have included 
100 ?Tr ig fT a , ere , S r 0f land O50 acres planted and 
Duriu! i e 908?i nil T the budclm S s > P |ant and improvements. 
non f,, 908 i t fi r TT Boru ° 0 Co >'- who llave an estate of 
o,UUU acres at Beaufort opened a further 2,000 at Menggatal 
north ot Jesse ton. By the end of the year 500 acres of 
this had been planted. 
Owing to the gradual rise in the price of rubber during 
the year the planters of British North Borneo are optimis 
