292 
one inch of bark : most of this tapping was clone with an ordinary 
farrier’s knife and some with a “safety” tapping knife, both simple 
instruments devoid of adjusting apparatus and so “fool proof. ” 
The trees were tapped every alternate day for one year without any 
rest except on such days as rain fell or the tapper was sick : they seem 
none the worse for this treatment and have yielded 20,849 seed as 
against 11,591 the previous year. 
Seed is harvested at Tenom from August to November and if the 
weather is favourable, again in January and February. 
In connection with the question of seed I might here mention as 
a matter of interest that a tree on Sapong Estate has dowered when 
just 20 months old. 
Wounds from the “ Y” tapping seem to heal much more quickly 
and evenly than those from “ half herring bone ” (all were done by 
the same coolie) probably the extra irritation from the three cuts of 
the latter prevented the regular healing of the wounds. 
There is practically no difference in yield per tree by either method 
of tapping but the “ half herring bone ” system has required the ex- 
cision of 189 square inches of cortex for each pound of dry rubber 
obtained whereas the “Y” system only requires the excision of 147 
square inches to obtain the same amount. 
This year’s experiment will be the comparison of 50 trees tapped 
on the “ V” system against 50 trees tapped on “"V” system. 
One hundred and fifty five (155) Para rubber trees in Government 
experimental Gardens at Tenom were planted, not before December 
1900 nor after July 1902 (exact date is uncertain as no records were 
kept). The plants have been uncarecl for and alio wet} to grow as 
they liked with the result that about one quarter of them have two or 
three stems; this lowers considerably the average girth as in these 
calculations each separate stem is regarded as a separate tree: even 
then we get an average girth at five to six and a half years old of twenty 
one inches at three feet from the ground, and the average increase in 
the girth during the last twelve months (ending 31st July, 1907) is 
four and three quarter inches (Singapore Botanic Garden records an 
average of inches). 
so 
% & 
a 5 
24 
inch. 
21 * 
inch. 
a Jj3 
I" £ § 
« 
® ~ 91 
® « a 
£ "S 
O T 1 
a 
excised. 
C-tJE 
® ft 
o 3 
- S 
MH 
Ph 
Ch 
SM 
f-i 
Y 
U g 0B 
lbs 
lbs. 
287,4 
1.64 
1407 
0.011 
159 7,834 
1 
m 
m 
—inch. 
63 « O 
15 
Half 
w E5 
>*2 
338.1 
2.14 
180 
0.0113 
158 10,141 
1 
herring 
lbs. 
lbs. 
— inch. 
bone. 
5 'iVz 
18 
FRANK E. LEASE, 
(N. Borneo Official Gazette June 1st, 1908.) Manager Sapong Estate. 
« 
