236 



which the milk is thick and does not run down. I had both kinds of trees pointed 

 out to me, but could recognize no differenee in trunk, leaves, or fruits. All the 

 trees, which I tapped later, always showed the thick milk. 



In Guatemala, however, trees were pointed out to me on two plantations which, 

 with exactly the same appearance in leaves, fruits, habits, etc., still had a com 

 pletely different behaviour. On tripping there flowed out in abundance a thinly 

 liquid milk, which however, contained no rubber, or only very small traces of it. 

 Of such trees there were many on both plantations. They had been specially 

 marked, and were never tapped ; naturally their seeds were also not sown for new 

 plantations. The statement that the milk of Castilloa, that from which g od rub- 

 ber can be obtained, runs down the trunk into vessels, I have often heard asserted 

 with positive assurance. I have never been able to convince myself of it, and can 

 only suppose that it is a case of two different varieties, with one of which I have 

 not be«ome acquainted. 



DECREASE OF MILK WITH ALTITUDE AND COXTINUOUS HUMIDITY. 



That rubber milk is obtained with greater freedom on the drier 

 western coast shows that continuous humidity is at least not in- 

 dispensible, but it does not prove that the larger production is due 

 to the drier climate. There may be, and probably are, differences in 

 the trees of the two regions, though these have not been detected. 

 But that there is a climatic element even on the west coast is made 

 plain by the fact that as the coastal plain is left behind and the 

 slopes increase in altitude and humidity the production of rubber 

 gradually declines. At an altitude of about l,8oo feet on the 

 Esmeralda coffee estate, only a few miles from La Zacualpa, wild 

 Castilloa trees apparently normal in other respects yielded milk 

 very sparingly, while at an elevation of 2,500 feet no milk dropped 

 from the cuts. Castilloa trees grew vigorously and attained a 

 diameter of 15 inches in twelve years at " Quien Sabe," in the 

 coffee district above Tapachula. The trees grow naturally up to 

 1,500 feet and beyond. Above 1,000 feet the rubber gathers do 

 not expect to find much rubber. Trees planted at an altitude of 

 2,000 feet from seed brought from the coast do not yield rubber. 



{To he conti?iued.) 



BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



The usual monthly meeting of the Board of Agriculture was 

 held at Headquarter House, on Tuesday 1 6th August, 1904, at 

 II. 15 a.m.: present, His Excellency Sydney Olivier, presid- 

 ing, His Grace the Archbishop, the Director of Public Gardens, 

 the Island Chemist, Hon. H. Cork, Messrs. C. A. T. Fursdon, 

 C. E. deMercado, J. W. Middleton and the Secretary, John Barclay. 



A letter from the Colonial Secretary was submitted with regard 

 to the Agricultural Reference Library setting forth the instructions 

 given with regard to the administration of the Library at Hope. 



Mr. J. Shore applied for one of the hand gins presented by the 

 British Cotton Growing Association for his district, and this was 

 agreed to. 



The Chemist submitted the following reports : — 



{a) Application for admission as agricultural students by 

 Cleveland Lindo and John Reid, recommending that they 

 be admitted subject to passing the usu-al test examinatioH. 



