386 
exnect No serious planter would allow if he could avoid it the invasion 
of Malang but looked at ’purely from a commercial aspect the position 
in retSi to lalang on many estates is that the rubber trees have been 
checked in their growth compared with weeded ^ 
sav a five year old tree is only equal to a four >eai old tiee which has 
been tended but the cost of the weeding during the three yeais of the 
tended tee ha S been from $30 to $60 per acre and it is a question 
whether the hastening by a year of the tree s growth is worth the cost 
Paid wlth other weeds the advantage of covering the soil usually 
balances the disadvantage caused by the weeds taking moisture and plant 
food from the soil at the expense of the rubber roots. 
To take exact instances, an estate in Perak plam® jfr 
owing to want of funds abandoned for fiveyears and allowed to Slow f 
, ? n befuka When cleared up only 8% of the trees were missing and the 
remainder showed excellent growth and are to ay at 
giving 4 lbs., of dry rubber per tree per yeai though they 
tapped some years. , T , irv the Malay States 
There are many thousands of acies of rubber in plant 
and the Colony under Tapioca the cropping of wM* takes . 1 
food out of the soil than almost any known cnW.vation a o{ 
this tax upon the soil the rubber trees ^om^han their neigh- 
their roots are growing not veiy s exp0 sed to sun and 
with no hours competitors but with then lootaieas exposeo 
discussed -at length m my report foi r this 5 e ^ jg n0edecl £or its 
rt is of /so much practical impo: ptanter to give the whole matter serious 
reiteration in order to uige the P c f re f u \i y toy the effect of green 
- - •* 
RATE op growth of forest trees in the 
FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 
By A. Burn Murdoch. 
On this subject, the most important in^orestry^ 
is known as regards trees wine 1 1 gim especially grow- 
have hitherto been made are 
very great. . , . . their 0p i n i O ns to the age 
