Vol. X. No. 24G. 



THE ^AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



311 



A METHOD OF TAPPING THE CEARA 



RUBBER TREE. 



The Agrirultural Journal of the Mosamhiqur 

 Company, Vol. I, p. 49, describes a mode of tappintj 

 the Ceara rubber tree (Maniliot Gluziovii), which is 

 known as the Lewa method, as follows: — ^. 



The tree is fit for tapping when the rough and papery 

 outer bark has been removed. If this has not been recently 

 done the .surface niay contain dirt conveyed up the tree by 

 little ants, so it is therefore advisable for the tapper to carry 

 a stiff scrubbing brush, for the purpose of cleaning the surface. 

 The portion of the tree to be tapped is then painted over 

 with a weak acid solution — acetic, citric, carbolic or fluoric 

 acid. The juice C'f citrus fruits, such as limes, lemons or 

 oranges, or seeds of the baobab tree soaked in water, will also 

 serve the purpose; but clean solutions only should be em- 

 ployed, and absolute cleanliness practised throughout. In the 

 portion to be tapped, almost point-like incisions should be 

 made, and the latex oozes out and flows down, and coagulates 

 in thin ribbons on the bark. These incisions should be made 

 4 inches apart, as each incision drains the latex from I inch to 

 2 inches in every direction from the wound. An ordinary prun- 

 ing knife is suitable, but every care must be taken that the inci- 

 sions do not reach the cambium layer; a very narrow chisel, 

 or a flattened bradawl, will also serve the purpose; but it is 

 better to use a knife with a guard, to prevent the incisions from 

 being made too deep. If the latex does not coagulate quickly, 

 the acid solution is not strong enough. In damp weather the 

 acid will be required to be stronger than in cold weather. The 

 requisite strength will soon be found from experience. 



Formerly, whtn the system was first started in German 

 East Africa, the rubber was rolled off the tree into round 

 balls. It followed, of course, that particles of l:|ark and dirt 

 became mixed with the rubber, and the product was conse- 

 quently of poor quality. Latterly, however, this method has 

 been improved upon, and instead <>f the rubber being rolled into 

 a ball, it is now rolled ofl' from the tree on to a small wooden 

 roller in such a way as to form a sheet when cut from the 

 roller lengthways. The latter method is a great advance 

 on the method of collecting in the form of balls, as the tapper 

 can from time to time dip the roller into a pail of water and 

 wash off particles of bark and dirt, and subsequently put the 

 sheet through a washer. 



The tapper should be provided with a rough scrubbing 

 brush, acid and a small hand whitewa.sh brush, for applying 

 the acid, a wooden roller, about 6 inches long by 2i inches in 

 diameter, and a pail or calabash of clean water. In addition 

 to the tapper it is advisable to have a second boy to follow 

 him to collect the rubber, for if too many trees are tapped at 

 a time the rubber from the first trees will not be so easy to roll 

 off. When rolling the ribbons off they .should be distributed 

 over the roller as evenly as possible. It is desirable that 

 the sheets should not be too thick, so the rubber should be 

 removed at intervals according to the desired tlrickness. The 

 size of the sheets would vary, of course, accordiijg to the size 

 of the roller used. It is desirable that the sheets should be 

 of uniform thickness and size, so the rollers should be all the 

 .same size. The ruliber should not be exposed to light more 

 than is possible, so whenever the roller is not infuse it should 

 be kept in a pail of water, and the sheets that have been col- 

 lected should also be kept in water and brought in from the 



plantation twice a day, after the morning and evening 

 tapping. 



It is stated that further experimentation is 

 necessary before a definite opinion as to the merits of 

 this method can be expressed. 



AGRICULTURAL TRAINING IN ANTIGUA. 



The following note on the scheme of agricultural 

 training, for work on estates, has been supplied by 

 Mr. H. A. Tempany, B.Sc, Superintendent of Agricul- 

 ture for the Leeward Islands: — 



At a meeting of the Antigua Agricultural and Commer- 

 cial Society, held on September 8, 1911, Mr. H. A. Tempany, 

 B.Sc, Superintendent of Agriculture for the Leeward Islands, 

 briefly reviewed the work that had been accomplished in 

 Antigua in connexion with the Examinations in" Practical 

 Agriculture, of the Imperial Department of Agriculture, and 

 at the .same time gave a short account of the system of cadet- 

 ships and junior assistants in training under the Agricultural 

 Department, now in practice in the Presidency. 



In the course of his remarks, Mr. Tempany pointed out 

 that, in view of the approach of the time for again holding 

 the agricultural examinations, the present formed a good 

 opportunity for reviewing the work that had been accom- 

 plished since the inception of the scheme three years ago. 

 After recapitulating the history and the objects of the scheme, 

 Mr. Tempany pointed out that three preliminary, two inter- 

 mediate, and one final examination had been held; in all thirty 

 candidates had been examined, twenty for the preliminary, 

 eight for the intermediate, and two for the final; he empha- 

 sized the importance attached to knowledge of practical 

 planting in the intermediate and final examinations, and paid 

 a tribute to the large amount of time and trouble devoted to 

 the examinations by the planter examiners, Messrs. Spooner, 

 Goodwin and Roden. 



With regard to the cadetships, Mr. Tempany showed 

 how they had been inaugurated at the instance of Dr. Francis 

 Watts, and the manner in which the work had been extended 

 and systematized. The character of the cadetships, as con- 

 tinuation agricultural scholarships tenable under the AgricuU 

 tural Department at the Antigua Grammar School and the 

 Botanic Station and Government Laboratory, was explained, 

 .tnd the object of their institution, namely, to give boys 

 further training in agricultural work such as would fit them 

 to follow the planting profession, was pointed out. The cadets 

 were recruited from the agricultural pupils of the Antigua 

 Grammar School. In connexion with the cadetships, two 

 junior appointments were maintained at the Experiment 

 Station, and recruited from holders of cadetships from time 

 to time; the object of these was to provide still further 

 training in agricultural work. 



A small salary was paid to holders of these appoint- 

 ments who were, as part of their duties, trained to develop 

 a sense of responsibilitj- and to obtain practice in the hand- 

 ling of labour; at the same time their knowledge of scientific 

 agriculture was increased, and the training character of the 

 appointments was never forgotten. The appointments were 

 only tenable for a limited term of years, so that a continuous 

 system of training was thus maintained. In conclusion, 

 Mr. Tempany pointed out that the time and energy expen- 

 ded on the organization and carrying out of these branches 

 of departmental activity would be amply justified if they 

 resulted in the provision of men properly equipped and quali- 

 fied to carry on the profession of- planting in future years. . 



