btQ 



f ME f ^OPt'CAL AOHICULTURIST. iUAmi i, my. 



— see letter below — there is no chance of his re- 

 ceiving any remuneration for the time and trouble 

 involved in a journey from Batavia to Ceylon 

 for the purpose of teaching us the art of extract- 

 ing the milk from the rubber tree. 



We now proceed to reproduce some of the re- 

 ports from different planting districts in the island, 

 with which we have been favoured in answer to 

 our enquiries, and first from Matale, we learn 

 from the proprietor of Wiharagama estate as 

 follows : — 



Wiharagama estate has about 25 acres Oeara rub- 

 ber and specimens of other varieties. Age seven to four 

 years but priucipally four years old. No harvesting has 

 been attempted as the trees for the most part are not 

 considered old enough to tap without deterioration, and 

 the older trees are Dot numerous enough to offer in- 

 ducement for systematic tapping. 



The Manager of Kandanuwara, in the same district, 

 writes : — 



Kandanuwara estate has nine acres or about 6,000 

 trees of Ceara India-rubber ; growth in years equal five; 

 in robust healthy condition and in a variety of soils. 

 Milking was attempted in 1886 to the extent of about 

 20 lb and gave from J to h lb per cooly, but my opi- 

 nion is that at this early stage of its growth, whatever 

 it may do later on, possibly nothing much greater, 

 it does not pay to grow this variety for rubber. I am 

 told Ceara rubber trees have been found suitable for 

 ciicao shade in Dumhara and I have planted car- 

 damoms under them here, but have not found them 

 by any means equal to the natural jungle shade. 

 We can vouch for the success of Ceara rubber 

 shade for cacao in Dumbara, by what we saw on 

 Pallekelly, where, we believe, Mr. Vollar has a high 

 opinion of the tree, both for its rapid growth and 

 favourable shade. Mr. Vollar had also made some 

 highly successful experiments in harvesting rubber, 

 to judge by the quantity he was able to gather off 

 individual trees without giving much attention to 

 the matter. The rapid growth of the Ceara tree in 

 the Dumbara valley is very remarkable. 



From Mr. Charles Gibbon of the Panwila dis- 

 trict we have the following report, but Mr. Gibbon 

 says valuable results should be got during the pre- 

 sent month : — 



Goonambil estate has some 15 acres of India-rubber 

 Harvesting, tapping has been attempted on two or three 

 occasions but the result as to quantity did not justify it 

 being continued. The quality of rubber has been 

 very good. Experiments will be made in January 

 and February (which will be the best harvesting month 

 probably,) and I will communicate them to you. Some 

 of the trees are eight years old, but the larger propor- 

 tion are half that age. 

 From Hantanne district, we learn that, — 



Galoya estate has ten acres of Ceara trees of India 

 rubber growth in years equal four years, but the cultiv- 

 ation has been abandoned and weeds allowed to grow. 

 Some of the trees are very tine. 

 Fafther south, we have reports as follows; — 



Ambalawa, estate fin Dolosbage) hn8 yO lo 40 acres 

 of trees of India»rubber, growth in years equal from 

 three to five yeiuas old ; growth good, I have not tried 

 any regular system of harvesting j have tapped several 

 trees and found the quantity of rubber insufficient to 

 )pay cost of collecting. 



Sauquhar estate, Pussellawa, has 11 acres clearing, 

 ktia also about 500 trees plauted here and there about 

 the estate. The 11 acres is four years old having 

 been pJimted in 18S2, the other trees a year older. 

 The trees in 11 acres are pretty regular, but have 

 forked rather low. No harvesting has been done 

 nor has any record been kept of any particular tree's 

 growth. 



Kanapediwatte estate, Pussellawa, has about three 

 Acres of India-rubber, three years old. No harvesting 

 has been attempted owiug to the failures of ot'.iers 

 in obtaining satisfactory results. 



Our puly report ixom ibe high d^gtrict^, is txoxa 



Mr. Mackie of Great Western, who wrote ; — 



We tried rubber-trees on the Rathnillokelly division 

 of the group four years ago— elevation 4,000 to 

 4,200 ft.— only a few came up in the sheltered parts. 

 Some are now 10 to 15 ft. high, but I cannot speak 

 of them as a success. I do not know that the 

 cultivation of this tree has been tried much above 

 (say) Nawalapitiya on this side, at any rate I have 

 not seen any lave our own growing in this part of 

 Dimbula, 



Crossing to Uva, we learn from Mr. Hoseason 

 that, — 



Kottagodde estate has here and there trees of 

 India-rubber, growth in four years, equal to 15 to 25 ft., 

 but nothing has been done to them nor are they in 

 any way cultivated, nor is any gum taken from them. 

 But the most complete report is that for which 

 we are indebted to Mr. Philby of Cocoawatte 

 estate, Lunugalla, as follows:— 



Cocoawatte, 27th Nov. 1886. 

 To the Editor of the Ceylon Observer, 



Deae Sib, — I now send you a few remarks on the 

 cultivation of rubber on above estate. 



-Extent. — I have 30 acres of Ceara rubber planted 

 from three to five years old ; the growth appears to 

 be satisfactory and there is no appearance of disease. 



Wintering. — The trees winter regularly every year 

 about June and July, as all the leaves drop off and 

 the tree looks as if it was dead, but in a very short 

 time the young buds appear and the foliage becomes 

 as luxuriaut as ever. 



Seed. — About the third year the trees begin to" flower 

 and bear heavy crops of seed, which drops on the 

 ground when ripe and germinates readily. 



Harvesting. — I have not yet arrived at any satisfac- 

 tory process of extracting the rubber. I have suc- 

 ceeded in getting a quarter of a lb, per cooly but this 

 will not pay. There is no doubt, that the rubber is 

 there and the question is how to get Jit ? Do the 

 rubber gatherers of Brazil fell the trees before tapping 

 them ? From a tree which had been felled a fort- 

 night or more I got two ounces of rubber in about a 

 quarter of an hour. Passing it in the morning I 

 knocked it about with a big stick aud in the after- 

 noou I found lumps of congealed milk where each 

 blow had fallen and easily picked them off. 



Enciiiies. — Pigs asd porcupines are the chief enemies 

 of the rubber tree and they are very fond of the 

 potato-like bulbs at the end of the roots. However, 

 they do not do much harm here and it takes a good 

 deal to kill a rubber tree when once established. 



I should very much like to know at what age it would 

 be considered right to begin tapping aud also any 

 known process of extracting the rubber in paying 

 quantities. I annex a table of measurements of trees 

 from one to five years old, some are larger and some 

 are smaller, but these figures represent a fair average 

 of the growth on this estate. — Yours faithfully, 



H. MONTAGUE PHILBY. 



Table ov Measurements ov Rubber Trees. 

 1 Year Old.— 18 feet high ; 10 inches round bast; ; 

 6i inches round 6 feet from ground, 

 "2 Years Old. —26 feet high; branched out 14 fret' 

 from ground ; 22 inches round base ; 14 inches round 

 G feet above ground. 



3 Years Old. —37 feet high; branched out 16 feet 

 from grouud • 30 inches round base ; 24 inches round 

 feet from ground. 



4 Years Old. — 43 feet high ; branched out 17 feet 

 from ground ; 42 inches rouud base ; 25 inches round 

 just under branches. 



5 Years Old. — 48 feet high ; 45 inches round base ; 

 branched out 22 feet from ground ; 33 inches round 

 just under branches. H. M. P, 

 We are much obliged to Mr, Philby and think 

 his trees on Cocoawatte must equal those we saw 

 in Dumbara in size for age. As to the questions 

 asked about Braf^il and felling operations there, 

 we shall have pleasure in sending Mr. Philby a 

 copy of the second edition of our "Rubber Manual' 

 now ill the presg, in wbicli lie will tiud the latest 



