The key figure during the period of early development in the Malay Peninsular was Henry Ridley, Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens during 1888-1911. His principal contribution was to develop what is still today the basic method for tapping the tree: the removal at each tapping of a thin layer of bark from the cut end, thus permitting a smooth flow of latex and allowing the bark to regenerate. This was a great improvement on the method which was being used in Brazil, involving slashing the tree, causing great damage to the cambial layer and consequently to the productivity and life of the tree.

This was by no means the sum of his contributions: Ridley became the 'product champion' for natural rubber. As Dean writes, "Ridley was a whirlwind" who devoted much of his energy for 24 years towards the encouragement of rubber planting. Baulkwill (1989) observes that Ridley and his associates were responsible for a number of major contributions to the art: the importance of tapping early in the morning, the effects of daily and alternate daily tapping, the best age for starting tapping, the influence of girth and direction of tapping cut on yield, the value of contour planting, density of planting and use of smoke-houses. By the conclusion of his term of office, the basic methodology for production of rubber from Hevea had been established, and there have been, in a sense, remarkably few changes since then.