PLANTATION RUBBER INDUSTRY 0¥ THE -RAST. 489 



in the Forest Report, and the Ceara trees certainly have never 

 been taken over. 



These 30 Para trees at Namunaghar are planted on flat 

 ground just above sea level, between the road and the mangrove 

 swamp near the mouth of the freshwatfer stream. The soil is 

 alluvial, and may be called a loam. 



They were apparently planted in five rows of eight, at 15 

 feet apart, thus occupying an area of 120 feet by 75 (say one-fifth 

 of an acre). The tallest trees are now 60 feet high, and the largest 

 girth ta;ken at 3 feet from the ground is 4 feet 8| inches. 



The majority have done quite well, only they have suffered 

 from being too closely planted, and there is nothing to show that 

 they received any cultivation, except possibly in the first few 

 years. 



Seven are now above 4 feet girth, eleven from 3 feet to 4 feet 

 girth, and ten are from 2 feet to 3 feet, and only two below 2 feet, 

 on measurements taken at 3 feet above ground. 



Over 10,000 seeds were obtained in 1913 from these trees, 

 and sown in the nursery at Goplakabung. 



XII. — Tapping Experiments, &c. 



In 1881 Trimen carried out trial tappings on the Henarat- 

 goda trees, and reported that the latex of the Hevea and 

 Castilloa was " already " in a more concentrated form thau 

 that of the Ceara. In the following year rubber was obtained 

 from five Heveas by smoothing one side of the tree and making 

 short cuts with a knife ; in that way 2| ounces of dry rubber 

 was obtained. This was forwarded to Messrs. Silver, who 

 reported that the rubber did not differ chemically from the 

 better descriptions of Para, but that the ash was only about 

 one half that of the latter. " As far as can be determined on 

 so small a sample, there is reason to beheve that as regards 

 strength and elasticity it would be fully equal to good Para 

 indiarubber." It was valued at 4s. per pound. Samples of 

 Castilloa and Ceara were also sent, and on the results of the 

 examination of the three rubbers Sir Joseph Hooker wrote as 

 follows in the Kew Report for 1882 : " The task initiated by 

 the India Office has now been successfully accomplished. A 

 stock of authentic plants of the species yielding the three most 

 important South American rubbers has been introduced into 

 the East, and it has been shown that they are capable of 

 yielding, under the conditions of Indian cHmato, products in 

 no way inferior to those produced by them in their native 

 countries." 



6(4)14 ^^^^ 



