14 
inches in circumference and forks at three feet six forming two straight stems measuring 
at five feet from the ground, 42 and 32 inches in girt. The branches are not greatly 
spreading in proportion to its height and for trees of this size 20 / x 20' apart gives 
ample room. This would give 108 trees to the acre and supposing them all to be 
equally as good as this one the result would be 675 tbs. of rubber per annum which 
at 3s iod per lb. the price realised for three hundred weight sold in the London market 
by Mr, Derry, Superintendent of Government Plantations, Perak, in April last, works 
out to over £129 per acre. It is not probable that all the trees on an estate would 
be equally good, in fact experience proves that there is a considerable difference, but 
Mr. Derry informs me that in tapping once about a hundred trees in Perak, the 
average was three and-a-half pounds per tree, and much more could have been taken 
but it was feared that further tapping might interfere with the seed crop. This 
comes fairly near the result of our one tree which shows an average of three and 
one-eighth of a pound for each of the four tappings. In addition to the experience 
gained in tapping this one tree over a period of two years, two other trees in a group 
of twenty planted i2 r x \2 have been tapped once, the result being 2lb. 9 oz. of dry 
rubber from the two. These are comparatively small trees about forty feet high and 
measuring 23 and 25 inches in girt at five feet from the ground. They are the same 
age as the large one but have grown slowly as might be expected in the sort of place 
they are planted. I think that this result from trees ol this size will appear perfectly 
satisfactory to planters some of whom I know base their calculations on one pound 
per tree per year after the seventh or eighth year, and in good soil I believe that trees 
equal in size to these two will be grown in that time. I he cost of land, clearing, and 
planting, is well known to those interested in the matter and the question of more 
importance to them at present is the quantity of rubber to be expected and the cost 
and method of collecting it. I have already shown the result as regards quantity, and 
as regards cost the time occupied in collecting this 124 lbs. occupied one man about 
28 hours, but the cost of tapping small trees will be proportionally greater. The only 
other labour involved is smoke drying which if the rubber is rolled out into thin sheets 
is a simple and inexpensive operation, but should be done as soon as possible after 
coagulation. A good deal has from time to time been written about the particular 
kind ot nut that is used in Brazil for this purpose but in a recent Consular Report by 
Mr. Vice-Consul Temple on the state of Amazonas, Brazil, he savs that it is a mis- 
take to suppose that any considerable portion of the rubber exported is prepared in 
this manner and he further states that wood chips which give less trouble to procure 
are preferred which is what might reasonably be expected seeing that the thing has 
to be done quickly. I find Coco-nut husks answer the purpose admirably. The latex 
coagulates as a rule without any trouble but if it contains a large proportion of rain- 
water there are various chemical re-agents that will cause coagulation. Acetic Acid 
and corrosive sublimate are recommended, but I have only tried Alum and Spirits of 
Wine. The latter is instantaneous in its action and if it does not injuriously affect 
the rubber, and I do not think it does, it may open a market to the sugar planters for 
their spirit. As regards the method of tapping I have found no better than that des- 
cribed in my last year's report that is that after having made a certain number of V. 
shaped or herring bone incisions to continue working on the same cuts by removing 
with a sharp chisel a thin shaving from the lower surface on alternate days. Very 
little milk is obtained at the first and second operations, but after about the third 
time it begins to run freely as will be seen by the following record of each day’s 
collection : — 
Date of tap- 
>mg. 
Weight of Wet Rubber obtained at each 
operation in ounces. 
I Total 
j weight of 
) wet rub- . 
ber. 
Weight 
when dry. 
1 l 

2 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
10 
1 1 
12 
13 
r 4 
tbs. 
oz. 
1 tbs. 
oz. 
Nov.- 
Dec., 
1898 
t 
3 
¥ 
1 
.* 
-.1 
84 
6 
9 
64 
84 
64 
84 
6 
64 
1 0 
84 
8 
i 
5 
94 
■ 
3 
0 
April 
-Mav, 
1899 
! 
Da 
i!y 
re 
cor 
d 
mis 
lai 
d 
2 
8 
Nov.- 
■Dec., 
1899 
I 
2 4 
3 
6f 
8 
ro 
io\- 
9 
1 14 
1 1 4 
1 1 
8 
6 
4 
3 
4 
Oct.- 
Nov., 
1900 
0 
i 
-2 
3 
44 
6 
9 l 
11 
9 4 
I 2 j 
14 
14 
12 
15 
12 
7 
x if 
3 
12 
Total ... 
1! 
3 i 
8f 
134 
2lf 
24 
294 
26i 
274 
29 
32 
33 l 
344 
28 
19 
94 
12 
8 
