PLANTATION RUBBER INDUSTRY OF THE EAST. 491 



which appears of good quality. Samples have been sent to 

 England for analysis. K the quality is satisfactory this plant 

 will be well worthy of cultivation in many spots of damp 

 waste land, in which few other crops can be grown without 

 great expense in draining." In the report for the following 

 year (1891) it is stated that Messrs. Silver had pronounced 

 the sample of very good quality. The old idea as to the 

 tappable age of the tree, derived from the accounts of Cross 

 and others, stiU handicapped the new product, Ridley adding 

 that fast as the tree grew it would be nearly ten years before 

 it was at the best stage for tapping. The methods adopted 

 were not recorded. 



The trees at Mergui were tapped in 1888. Five ounces 

 were collected from five trees in July and 12 ounces from 42 

 trees in November. Large numbers of incisions were made, 

 an average of 22 per tree in the five largest trees (average 

 girth 37 inches), and an average of 12 per tree on the smaller 

 (average girth 31 inches). The samples were reported upon 

 by the Silvertown works. 



About the year 1896 rubber began to attract more attention. 

 The price of the product began to increase, and prospects of 

 profitable cultivation appeared more favourable. Probably 

 for the latter reason the. Kew authorities began to inquire 

 into the fate of the plants sent out by them in 1876-77, and so 

 stimulated those responsible for the management of Colonial 

 Botanic Gardens to renewed effort, while as has already been 

 shown, the failure of coffee in the F. M. S. provided there a 

 sufficient inducement to the planter to seek after new products. 



The reception accorded to the Peradeniya report for 1896 



illustrates the trend of opinions on the subject of rubber 



planting. The information it contained on this question did 



not amount to much, but it appears to have been the first 



notice to attract general attention. The American rubber 



journal, " The India Rubber World," wrote of it as follows 



(September 10, 1897) :— 



The most important steps in rubber cultivation now under 

 way are being taken in Ceylon, where the new Director of the 

 Royal Botanic Gardens is addressing himself to the task enthu- 

 siastically, in the belief that results of great value are attainable. 

 The new Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens in Ceylon is a 



