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it has been found that trees planted on small mounds of earth, 3 to 

 4 feet in height grow very much better than if they are planted on 

 ordinary level ground, and this plan has therefore also been 

 adopted, although it adds considerably to the cost of making 

 these plantations, but the faster growth of the trees amply com- 

 pensates for the higher expenditure. The method of planting 

 adopted from the beginning has been to clear lines from east to 

 west through the forest for the young trees a hundred feet apart ; 

 the width of the lines is 40 feet, so that a broad strip of forest 60 

 feet wide is left standing between these lines to ensure the utmost 

 amount of moisture in the atmosphere for the young rubber trees. 

 At first the lines were only cleared 20 feet broad, but it was found 

 after a few years that these closed up very soon and thus retarded 

 the growth of the young trees by shutting out the requisite amount 

 of light. However, the widening of the lines also brought about 

 the faster growth of the scrub in them, besides that of the rubber 

 trees, and more money, time, and attention has in consequence to 

 be spent, especially in the rainy season, on those plantations, than 

 had at first been anticipated, but the greatest and most costly 

 difficulty that had to be overcome was the effectual protection of 

 rubber trees against deer, which during the first few years, con- 

 stantly bit off the young plants, and, where they were not entirely 

 ruined by this, they were so much injured and retarded in growth 

 that a considerable increase in expenditure on these plantations 

 had to be incurred on fencing to prevent it. But for the future this 

 expenditure will not be necessary, since it has been found that 

 saplings 10 feet and more in height can be transplanted without 

 difficulty and with perfect success, and if such saplings are tied 

 firmly to stakes, the deer can do little or no damage to them." 



Assam Rubber in Jamaica — There are a number of these ti'ees in 

 various parts of Jamaica. Mr. W. M. Douet has extracted good 

 rubber from a tree at Sweet River, near Sav.-la-Mar, by making 

 V-shaped incisions with others leading into the lowest point. He 

 says: — " By making several incisions in the roots, branches, and 

 lower parts of the trunks I have extracted 2 lbs. from a tree at one 

 time. The juice runs very slowly and hardens on the tree ; I strip 

 it off and roll it into balls. The trees are large, 12 to 15 feet in 

 circumference and 50 to 60 feet high. They appear to be very 

 old. The late Mr. H. O. Vickers made some experiments in ex- 

 tracting the rubber from these trees, and found that he obtained 

 a greater flow at full moon, also during rainy weather .... The 

 average annual rainfall for the last ten years is 64 inches 17 

 parts." 



Mr. M. S. Strickland also extracted good rubber from one of 

 these trees at Great Valley, Flint River. He wrote, " The manner 

 in which the rubber is taken is a rough one ; the trunk and 

 branches are cut with a machete, a small lump of clay is taken to 

 catch the milk as it drops, and formed into a ball. But the milk 

 can be taken by cutting the tree and allowing it to drop into a 

 calabash. . . . The tree here would not do for cocoa shade, as it 

 branches out 5 feet from the ground, and the branches are large 



