296 



CASTILLOA. 



With the Castilloa they do differently, planting a number of 

 seeds on hillocks close to each other and gradually thinning out 

 by experimental tappings until they obtain the desired number 

 per acre. However, this is necessary in Castilloa, as many of 

 the Castilloa do not give latex, whereas in Heveas and Cearas 

 in the right localities and particularly with Heavas, there is a 

 marked uniformity. Often with Castilloas, even with this care- 

 ful selection, barren trees or those which soon become so, are left 

 occasionally. 



WEEDING. 



There is no doubt that clean weeding is best, though expense 

 may prevent it being carried out. 



TAPPING. 



This is of course most important, and here the greatest ad- 

 vances will come, next to the preparation of the rubber after col- 

 lection of the latex. 



For Hevea, various tapping tools have been devised, with the 

 main object of not cutting into the cambium or growing part of 

 the bark. It matters not whether the single V, the herring bone, 

 modified herring bone, spiral or what the incision made, the sum- 

 mum bonum is to get the greatest amount of latex with the least 

 loss of bark and the least injury to the cambium. 



If the cambium is uninjured or left in strips on the bark new 

 bark w^ill grow up. It has been found best not to tap this new 

 bark the next year, but in two years it can be tapped again 

 though normally it may not be necessary for a longer period 

 than that. 



There is another factor bearing on the subsequent yield of the 

 tree and that is that the tree suffers from shock when the latex 

 is removed in a large amount which is minimized by the system 

 of multiple tapping to which the Hevea variety lends itself so 

 admirably, and in fact this is one of the things which have con- 

 tributed in giving it the power of yielding in larger and larger 

 amounts when tapped year after 3'ear. 



The Ceara promises to do likewise and it is up to us to demon- 

 strate it. The Castilloa yields all at one time and in large quan- 



