PARA-RUBBER CULTIVATION 403 



trees, is recommended for rubber estates. A disease or pest 

 observed in one block might then be overcome before it had 

 time to penetrate to a neighbouring area. 



These protective belts may be formed by the retention of 

 strips of the virgin forest, or they may be planted specially. 

 If the latter course be adopted, trees of economic importance 

 should, if possible, be chosen, care being taken not to select 

 any nearly related to that composing the main cultivation. 

 For example, Castilloa or Ficus might be used in connection 

 with Hevea, thus affording extra quantities of caoutchouc ; or 

 trees useful for supplying timber for the estate might be planted. 

 Manihot would not be advisable, as it not only belongs to the 

 same family, the Euphorbiaceae, but also to the same tribe. 

 Fungi and insects often confine themselves to nearly related 

 groups of species. 



Seed-Selection. — Another matter worthy of brief mention is 

 seed-selection. Too little attention has hitherto been paid to 

 this. Estates, as a rule, have been planted with seeds from 

 Hevea trees irrespective of their rubber-producing qualities. 

 Selection might have been commenced ten years ago to the 

 great advantage of those now about to engage in Para-rubber 

 planting. It is not too late to begin, since even if the laying 

 down of new areas in rubber should soon cease, old estates 

 will doubtless require some renewing in course of time. 



Suggestions 1 thrown out about the advisability of selection 

 nine years ago were not heeded ; in the interval nothing 

 systematic in this direction has apparently been done. Now 

 several are beginning to see the importance of turning attention 

 to seed-selection. Sandemann 2 has recently advocated the 

 practice strongly, and writes : " The matter was not perhaps 

 so very pressing at the present moment, but would prove to 

 be of very great importance if the price of rubber fell con- 

 siderably, and especially so if that of labour rose coincidently." 



Apparently there is a strain of Hevea now growing in the 

 East which is a poor latex yielder but a great seed bearer. If 

 care be not taken, estates may be planted with this variety, 

 only to cause grave disappointment in a few years' time, 

 when the trees reach the bearing age. 



1 J. H. Hart, India- Rubber World, October 1900, p. 6; J. Parkin, idem, 

 January 1901, p. 105. 



3 Sandemann, India-rubber Journal, 1909, vol. xxxviii. p. 345. 



