PLANTATION RUBBER INDUSTRY OF THE EAST. 463 



plantation " {i.e., group 1) as 48. His plan in the second 

 plantation shows 226 trees and 54 vacancies to the right of 

 the path, and 73 trees and 37 vacancies to the left. Of the 

 third group he states : " Further on, a lot of about 20 fairly 

 good and 50 poor trees." This gives a total of 417 trees, but 

 ignores those between the first two groups and the scattered 

 trees round the second. 



That the first group represents the original plantation is no 

 doubt correct. Of the third group we have no information. 

 One is tempted to suppose that they are the second consign- 

 ment, planted as far away as possible from the first ; but, 

 on the other hand, they may have been transferred to that 

 situation from the old plantation by Trimen, when he similarly 

 planted trees on the river bank at Peradeniya in 1881. These, 

 however, are suggestions only. 



The second group is generally said to date from 1886, and 

 tradition states that they are the remains of a nursery estab- 

 lished in that year. Dr. Trimen was on leave during that year, 

 and the seed crop was not recorded. The number of seeds 

 distributed was practically the same as in 1885, but, 

 on the other hand, the crop increased enormously about 

 this time. 



But the facts which throw doubt on the supposition that 

 this second plantation consists of plants of the second 

 generation are the entries in the Conductor's reports 

 from 1881 onwards. The original plantation was thinned 

 out in 1882 and 1885. The plants taken out were not 

 thrown away, but transplanted to other parts of the 

 Garden. 



On March 31, 1882, the Conductor reported that " two new 

 clearings for about 70 Urceola esculenta, 30 Landolphia, and a 

 few Hevea roots are being (got) ready " ; "Hevea hrasiliensis, 

 several old roots were transplanted among the Liberian 

 coffee." On September 30 of the same year he refers to 

 " two new clearings, in which I have planted Hevea roots." 

 On December 31, 1882, he reports that he is clearing another 

 piece of jungle to plant out the remaining Hevea roots from 

 the old plantation; in March, 1883, he states that the 

 portion referred to in his last report is cleared and holed, and 



