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November /th, igo;, under the title of "Base tapping for rubber 

 trees." The basal tappings were contrasted with herring bone 

 tappings. In the Gardens' records this experiment was called 8 but 

 because there was framed later by Mr. Derry another experiment 8, 

 the basal tappings will be called here V and W according to their 

 degree, V for the single and W for the twinned basal cuts. Other 

 trees which had been experimented with earlier were tapped in their 

 groups, not .exactly experimentally, but in a tapping rotation, in 

 connection with which Mr. Fox started and Mr. Boden Kloss kept 

 up a most extensive series of daily observations on the amount 

 of latex which they yielded. 



For some reason these valuable and extensive records were kept 

 on separate sheets instead of in the usual books, or they were written 

 up in books which became separated from the proper records, and it 

 was only after weeks of search that the writer found among waste 

 paper all those now recovered. It may be that some are lost, and if 

 so this is a great pity, for the individual tree record is just what is 

 wanted for the work now in hand. 



Mr. Ridley returned early in 1908 ; and to the existing staff was 

 added in April, Mr. T. W. Main, Mr. Dcrry being now on leave. 

 Mr. Main took charge of the rubber-work together with other duties, 

 which seem to have had preference so that the tappin,e recorded as 

 having been done in 1908, is very meagre. Mr. Main informs the 

 writer that one record which he kept, was destroyed by white ants. 

 There is an incomplete record of an experiment done in the year on 

 the trees which had served for the experiment 2 of 1904, in which 

 half were tapped by a herring bone and half by basalV : but unfor- 

 tunately it is unrecorded which trees were treated in the one way 

 and which in the other. 



Mr. Derrjr resumed charge of the tapping work in 1909. 



First of all in that year, perhaps by mistake, a few trees, from 

 among those which had made experiment I of 1904, were tapped 

 twenty-seven times in thirty-one days. This tapping is here called 

 Z. It did not extend to more than a small portion of the trees of 

 either of the halves into which experiment I had been divided: but 

 took some virgin trees. 



After this, shortage by reason cf deaths was made good by 

 adding new trees to the groups: many of those added were from 

 among trees tapped by Mr. Ridley and Mr. Burgess in 1905. 



T his done, tapping was recommenced on the old rotation, and 

 into it two new groups of trees called 9 and lO were introduced. 



One real experiment, and one only, was done in this year, a com- 

 parison on the "chain gamma " method of making a herring bone 

 which Mr. Boden Kloss had invented, with the ordinary herring bone. 



