JAMAICA. 



BXJLI.ETIlSr ^^j^«^^«>' 



NEW VOUK 

 OF THE ^OTaN/CaL 



^ A Kotos 



DEPARTMENT OF A(}RICULTURE. 



Vol. IV. MAY, 1906. Part 5. 



NOTES ON THE " CASTILLOA" RUBBER TREE. 



By "A Forester," Bluefields, Nicaragua, Jan., T906.* 

 The roots of young plants of Castilloa clastica (the Central 

 American rubber tree) are well developed and branch a good 

 deal. They are very thickly clothed with root hairs at the tips. 

 These hairs are very fine and fragile and in transplanting young 

 seedlings great care should be taken not to injure them. I believe 

 that the condition of the roots of a tree makes more difference 

 with the amount of rubber it will give than the leaves. A tree 

 with small yield is generally healthy in the leaves, but has some 

 defect in the roots. Transplants are likely to have defective tap 

 roots and on this account blow over. 



There are two distinct types of branches on the Castilloa tree — 

 temporary and permanent. All the branches for the first three or 

 four years are temporary. They grow alternately on different 

 sides and almost at right angles to the trunk. After some time 

 the temporary branch drops, when besides the scar which is left 

 will be found a small bud. This bud is either to the right or left 

 of the scar, but never above or below it. Whenever one such bud 

 on a tree grows to the right all the other buds do the same, and 

 vice versa. I have never found a tree with buds on both sides. 

 Such buds are the beginning of permanent branches. Only a 

 small number grow into branches, but any of them can be forced 

 by cutting through the bark to the wood, above the bud, and thus 

 severing the sieve tubes connecting the leaves and roots. These 

 permanent branches project upward at an angle of 45° or less. 

 Forced branches do not grow as fast as natural ones. The 

 permanent branch bears temporary branches of its own, and later 

 may bear other permanent branches. 



This question of branching may prove important. Some 

 planters claim that trees that put out permanent branches early 

 grow faster and yield better than later branching trees. Others 



* From the India Rubber World. 



