Malaya : Rubber Pioneers

 Singapore
June 11^th 1877
22 rubber seedling send from Kew Gardens to Singapore.
11 planted in Botanic Gardens Singapore
              
Kuala Kangsar
October 1877
Sir Hugh Low  ( 3^rd Resident of Perak ) planted 9 rubber seedlings in Kuala Kangsar.
Only 1 survived today.

 

Seremban          

1877      1 rubber seed was  planted in Seremban, right in front of British Residents’ Official residence.   

1883      A few rubber trees were planted in Linsum Estate ( owned by Thomas Heslop Hill ), amongst the coffee.

1902      1 picul ( 130 pounds ) of rubber produced from Linsum Estate and sold to England for 3s 10d

 

 

Melaka

1896      Tan Chay Yan 陳齊賢 ( 1871-1916 )  planted 43 acre of rubber at Bukit Lintang Malacca.  Thus established the first rubber plantation in Malaya.  It is also first rubber plantation in Asia.

Rubber Tapping & Latex Processing

Tapping

The latex is extracting from rubber tree ( Hevea brasiliensis ) by skillfully slicing a groove into the bark of the tree with a specialty knife.  The trees must be approximately 6 years old and 150mm in diameter in order to be tapped.

The tapping work is done at night or in the early morning when the temperature is lower, so that the latex will drip longer before coagulating.

Ammonia solution are sometimes added to the collection cup to prevent natural coagulation and allow the latex to remain in liquid state.  Liquid latex is used to produce latex concentrate for manufacture of dipped goods or coagulated under clean and controlled conditions.  Natural rubber latex concentrate, is preserved with ammonia solution, contains 60% Dry Rubber Content ( DRC ).

  

Coagulating & Milling 

Latex is a suspension of isoprene, microscopic natural rubber particles in an aqueous medium.  These particles scatter light, making the latex solution appear white and homogeneous like milk.  The surfaces of the latex particles are charged, which creates forces of repulsion between them that keep them from coagulating. In the coagulation process formic acid neutralizes these charges, thereby eliminating the forces of repulsion between the particles. 

The coagulated latex block are then pressed to remove water by passage through rollers.  The last pairs of rollers are grooved and thus produce ribbed sheets.  The ribs increase the surface area and facilitates drying. 

The serum left after latex coagulation is rich in quebrachitol (QCT), and various water-soluble materials such as sugars, lipids, proteins and minerals, which can cause water pollution if the serum is directly discharged into the environment.  

Washing & Drying 

The freshly sheeted rubber are then soaked in running water for a short time after milling to wash off the residual non-rubbers and, to prevent discoloration and mold growth. 

Sheets were hung up to drip off the remaining water for 4 to 6 hours preferably in the shade to drain off the surface moisture and thereby reduce the smoking period. 

 

Smoking 

Dripped sheets which contain about 20% moisture are dried in a smoke house.   Smoking enables the sheets to absorb creosotic and other antiseptic substances which provide a preservative effect and anti-oxidant effect on to the rubber.  Temperature of the smoke house maintained at range between 48-54 °C. 

Generally, smoking could be completed within 4-5 days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Rubber Economist : Oldest rubber tree in Malaysia

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

Standing tall outside the Department of Lands And Mines in Kuala Kangsar is one of the oldest rubber trees in the country, grown from an original seedling brought into the country (New Straits Times (Malaysia) 16 February 2010).

Before palm oil, Malaysia's "golden crop", the country was blessed with rich "milk" that never ceased to flow - latex that oozed from rubber trees.

But it has been decades since rubber was the No 1 or even a major contributor to the economy though it was rubber and tin that laid the foundation for the country's economy.

Although rubber prices have improved and many smallholders are returning to their plots to collect latex, the days of rubber as a pillar of the country's economy are unlikely to return.

Nevertheless, rubber will always have a special place in our history. Museum Negara, for instance, has a special mention of it. The story of rubber and how it came to the then Malay Federated States is a fascinating one, starting with a "crazy Englishman" Henry Nicholas Ridley. The botanist earned his "crazy" reputation because he was always stuffing rubber seeds into the pockets of everyone he meets, hoping they will plant the seeds.

The English had smuggled rubber seeds out of Brazil (then under Portugal) for planting in their colonies so that they would have their own supply of rubber.

Today, one of nine seedlings brought to this country by Ridley is still standing tall in Kuala Kangsar, the royal town of Perak. The tree is located just outside the office of the Department of Lands And Mines (Federal). It was planted there in 1877 and is said to be one of the two oldest rubber trees in the country.

This tree signalled the start of the rubber plantation era in the late 19th-20th Century, and turned the country into the world's largest producer of rubber at one time.

The story began in the 1870s with British administrators in India. Henry Wickham collected 70,000 rubber seeds from the Amazonian rainforest in Brazil and sent them to London's Kew Gardens to be germinated.

The seedlings were sent out to the British colonies and in 1876, nine were planted in Kuala Kangsar. The trees that came from the original Wickham stock were used to start the first plantation. For this, credit must go to Ridley, then director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens.

The "rubber revolution" of the early 20th Century saw virtually all other cash crops being brushed aside to make way for rubber plantations. In the 1930s, our rubber industry dwarfed that of Brazil's. The demand then for natural rubber worldwide, notably for making tyres for the newly-invented motorcar, gave the industry room to expand and rake in huge profits.

If you have difficulties locating the oldest rubber tree in the country, make your way to the Kuala Kangsar Tourist Information Centre right in the heart of town. Or call 05-777 7717.

If you're in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur, visit the Kiara Park where there are many rubber trees. You can even pick up rubber seeds to plant in your garden... or be a Ridley and give them to your friends as a reminder of what an important role rubber played in the history of this country.

http://www.therubbereconomist.com/News/Entries/2010/2/16_Oldest_rubber_tree_in_Malaysia.html