46 



methods which have been described in previous publications on 

 rubber culture, most of which advocate the shading of the 

 nurseries and the postponement of transplanting till the seedlings 

 are a year old. It is claimed at La Zacualpa that the small trees 

 suffer less from transplanting and that they are larger at the end 

 of two years than if they had remained in the nursery for a year. 



The seed beds at La Zacualpa are made each year in a new 

 place convenient of access to the tracts which are to be planted. 

 While the nurseries are not shaded overhead, they are generally 

 located in clearings in the forest, where they have considerable 

 protection against dry wind. The drying out of the soil would 

 doubtless be fatal to young seedlings, but if the soil and air are 

 sufficiently moist, the sun does not harm them. 



The land used for nurseries is cleaned by burning, though this is 

 not the case at La Zacualpa with the plantation proper. When 

 older seedlings are transplanted it is customary, as with coffee, to 

 cut the tap root down to 5 or 6 inches, rather than to plant it bruised 

 or bent. If the soil is loose and fertile the seedlings are set in 

 holes made with a pointed stake ; elsewhere it is better to dig holes 

 as with coffee. Castilloa is not a delicate plant, and will endure 

 any reasonable treatment. The worst danger seems to be that with 

 long-continued rain and deficient drainage the young plants will rot 

 off, or they may be killed by drought if planted too near the end of 

 the rainy season. For those which have not become sufficiently 

 established before the coming of dry weather artificial shade may 

 be provided. At La Zacualpa one of the tracts, which represented 

 an experiment in open planting, had each young seedling covered 

 with a hood made of leaves of the manaca palm (Attalea). 



( To be continued. ) 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The Monthly Meeting of the Board of Agriculture was held at 

 Headquarter House on Tuesday 13th December, 1904, at 1 1. 1 5 a.m. 

 Present : the Hon. H. Clarence Bourne, Chairman ; the Director of 

 Public Gardens, His Grace the Archbishop, Hon. T. Capper, 

 Messrs. C. A. T. Fursdon, J. W. Middleton and the Secretary, J. 

 Barclay. 



Minutes — The Minutes of the previous meeting were read and 

 ■confirmed. 



A letter of apology was read from the Island Chemist who was 

 indisposed. 



Sugar Laboratory — The Chairman submitted a letter from the 

 Chemist asking for approval of various items of expenditure for 

 fittings and equipment of the Sugar Laboratory, Fermentation 

 Laboratory and Distillery, from the allocation of £l,000. The 

 items submitted were sanctioned except the amount for the pur- 

 chase of a typewriter which was deferred. 



It was resolved that more detailed estimates of the expenditure 

 of the Sugar Laboratory Fund should be submitted with sub-heads 



