349 
a year sooner. This is distinctly desirable, 
that all Malay Peninsula trees are precocious 
One might as well say 
because they develop a 
year sooner than Ceylon ones. . , . , „ 
Besides the early flowering and fruiting trees mentioned as occur- 
ring in Johor, and referred to by Mr. Macmillan I have seen a very 
compact tree flowering at little over 3 years old in the 0 1 a 
Estate in Singapore, and in the last Bulletin Mr. L « ase ”® nt . 10 “ B a 
on Sapong estate Borneo flowering at 20 months old. This latter does 
seem absurdly young. 
RUBBER IN WESTERN SIAMESE STATES OF 
THE MALAY PENINSULA. 
A report upon the trade of the Monthons of Saiburi and Puket by 
Mr Consul Frost states that, in consequence of the rubber boom m the 
Straits most of the Tapioca raisers have taken to planting rubber among 
the tapioca, the latter being treated merely as a catch crop. Near A or 
Star there are two European-owned estates planted only with rubber, 
which are doing well, and several other Europeans have applied for 
land but it is too early to say much of the future of this product. 
North of Kedah the only rubber to be seen was some recently planted 
as an experiment in the public gardens at Trang, and it is doubtfu 
whether there would be sufficient rainfall all the year round to obtain 
the best results. If many large estates should be opened in this state 
the labour question is likely to be a difficult one. The Straits Govern- 
ment, in obedience to the terms imposed by the Government of India, 
prohibit as far as they can the immigration into Kedah of Tamil coolies. 
As the local labour is unsatisfactory it is difficult to see what can be 
found to take its place. A little Gutta-Percha is exported. 
— The India-Rubber Journal June 1st, 1908. 
FINE RUBBER FOR \ 2 \ CENTS. 
The cost of tapping eight-year-old Hevea trees and curing the 
rubber on an important plantation in the Malay States, according to a 
report to the share holders in the company owning it, for the last half 
of 1907 averaged 12| cents (gold) per pound. The average yield of the 
trees for the year was about 3i pounds, just twice the average for the 
preceding year, and a still larger yield is expected for 1908. 
The cost of extraction and preparing rubber for markets on this 
estate (one of the Anglo-Malay Company’s properties) has been reduced 
steadily, due, it is to be inferred, both to the increased productiveness of 
the tree — doubling in one year the output per acre — and to the increased 
experience of the operatives. Doubtless we shall hear later of a still 
lower production cost, but even 12i cents per pound allows a very 
handsome margin of profit for a product which realizes 90 cents a 
pound or more after deducting freight and selling charges. 
Of course, cost of administration and interest on the investment 
have to be considered, but the upkeep of mature rubber trees is inex- 
pensive, and the leading plantation companies now selling rubber seem 
