November 1, 1911.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



67 



RUBBER INTERESTS IN THE PHILIPPINES. 



TPHE superintendent of the experiment station at Manila, 

 ■*■ Phillippine Islands, Professor O. W. Barrett, issues some 

 exceedingly interesting and practical suggestions regarding the 

 planting of Para rubber. As this is intended for American 

 planters, resident in the Philippines, who, by the way, are becom- 

 ing more and more interested, and for whom there is a decidedly 

 bright future, the instructions are published in extenso : 



Removal From Seed Bed. — The plants should be taken up only 

 during the rainy season. Unless the soil has been wet with rain 

 the bed must be watered so that the earth will adhere more or 

 less to the roots. 



In most cases it will be necessary to cut or break some of 

 the larger roots in removing the seedlings ; if many roots are lost 

 in this process it will be necessary to remove some or all of the 

 leaves to prevent evaporation of the sap in the stem before new 

 roots are formed. 



The amount of balling which should be done will depend on 

 the character of the soil, the age of the roots, the manner of 

 packing, etc. ; generally speaking, the more earth which can be 

 taken up with the plant and packed firmly into a ball around the 

 roots, the less the plants will suffer from the shock. 



Whether transported in baskets, tins, or boxes, the seed- 

 lings must be protected from drying out and from exposure to 

 the sun. 



Seedlings having a height of 1, 2 metres (40 or 80 inches) 

 or more should be cut back to about 60 or 80 centi- 

 metres (24 or 32 inches) a few days before removing 

 them from the nursery. The seedlings may be taken up when 

 they have attained a height of 1 metre, and should never be 

 allowed to reach more than 2 metres before transplanting; in 

 special cases trees of 2 or 3 metres could be transplanted in 

 favorable weather by cutting back to about one-half their height 

 before transplanting. Care should be taken to prevent scratching 

 or bruising the bark in handling the seedlings. 



Planting. — Setting into the holes should be done after sun- 

 set or rainy days. 



The location of the plantation should be such that strong 

 winds cannot damage the trees. If there are no adjacent hills or 

 forest trees to break the force of the wind, belts of trees, such as 

 eucalyptus, cocoanut, bonga, or mango, should be planted around 

 and through the plantation, before or at the time of setting out 

 of the Para trees. Rows of cacahuate {Gliricidia maculata) or 

 ipil (Lucaena glauca) may be planted — the former by cuttings, 

 the latter by seeds — as temporary protection, or in conjunction 

 with other kinds, like bonga, cocoanut, and eucalyptus. 



Sandy soils are dangerous on account of the quickness with 

 which they become dry; low wet soils containing stagnant water 

 cannot be used, though some wet lands can be drained suffi- 

 ciently to become safe. Localities which regularly suffer from 

 droughts of more than a few weeks duration should be avoided 

 unless adequate irrigation can be provided. Both alluvial and 

 mountain soils are suitable provided they are always moist. 



Holes. — The holes should be prepared two to four weeks 

 before transplanting. They must be at least 1 metre in diameter; 

 a depth of 25 to 50 centimetres is recommended. The subsoil, 

 if poor, should be removed to a distance of at least 50 centimetres 

 below the surface of the ground. In filling the holes only "top 

 soil" (to a depth of 10 to 15 centimetres) about the holes may 

 be used ; care must be taken to avoid introducing grass roots or 

 weed seeds with this earth. A few days before the Para plants are 

 set in, the holes may be filled nearly full to avoid delay and 

 exposure of the seedling at the moment of transplanting. 



Any broken or dead roots should be pruned off with shears 

 or a sharp knife just before putting the plant into the hole. 



The earth must be firmed in well around the roots so that 

 there shall be no air spaces or lumps to cause trouble later. If 

 the earth is not sufficiently moist the trees should be watered at 



the time of transplanting and, of course, as often as may be 

 necessary until they are well established. 



The proper distance between the holes depends upon local 

 conditions and the plans of the planters in regard to secondary 

 crops. If the plantation is on old cleared ground the trees may 

 be set at 5 or 6 metres, whereas on rich or recently cleared areas 

 7 to 9 metres would probably prove better, especially if some 

 secondary crop is to be grown during the first few years. There 

 is no serious objection to setting the trees 6 metres providing the 

 weaker trees are removed (tapped to death) as soon as they begin 

 to interfere with the development of the vigorous individuals. 



Cultivation. — At no time during the life of the Para tree 

 may grass of any kind be allowed to grow over the "feeding 

 area" of the roots. The degree of cultivation given to the space 

 between the Para rows will depend largely upon the local condi- 

 tions. As soon as convenient all brush, weeds and grass should 

 be eliminated. The surface of the ground, at least near the Para 

 trees, should be planted with beans or some kind of leguminous 

 cover crop which will not only keep down the grass and weeds, 

 but will keep the area over the roots of the rubber comparatively 

 cool and moist, and at the same time furnish nitrogen to the 

 soil instead of poisoning it with root excretions, as in the case 

 of grass. 



Due precautions against fires must be taken. 



No secondary crop like camotes, cassava, or bananas should 

 be planted nearer than 2 metres from the Para; after the third 

 year from transplanting no secondary crop, except legumes, may 

 be grown in the plantation. 



The kind of legumes recommended for planting as cover 

 crops in the Philippines are Centrosema bean, Lyon bean, yam 

 bean, velvet bean, sword bean, and any of the native beans; 

 cowpeas, mani manihan, peanuts, cacahuate, and ipil {Lucaena 

 glauca.) 



The cacahuate, or baloc-baloc, is a shrub or small tree, 

 especially recommended because it may be readily grown from 

 cuttings stuck into the ground ; it can be cut back whenever its 

 height exceeds l.S or 2 metres, the removed branches helping 

 to increase the humus layer on the ground. The habit of shed- 

 ding its leaves for a few weeks in the dry season is a disadvantage 

 in using this species; the ipil, or datels, is not deciduous. 



If the soil becomes packed, i. e., so wet and clogged that air 

 and water cannot readily circulate through it, it should be 

 forked by the vertical process, j. e., by thrusting a strong-tined 

 fork down into the ground to a depth of 10 to 15 centimetres, 

 then, after loosening the tines, the fork is withdrawn without 

 breaking the roots. 



The young Para trees must be protected from the depreda- 

 tions of pigs, deer, etc. ; a woven-wire fence is unquestionably 

 the best means of protection. A very closely planted row of 

 bonga palms (Areca catechu) can be utilized after about their 

 fourth year as a live fence ; bamboo strips may be woven into 

 it and tied so that even pigs cannot force an entrance ; or maguey 

 may be planted between the bongas very effectively. 



If live mulches, or cover crops, are not used about the 

 30ung rubber trees some kind of straw or leaf mulch should be 

 kept over their roots except in very rainy weather. The layer of 

 dry grass, rice straw, or similar material should be just thick 

 enough to prevent the growth of weeds without smothering the 

 Para roots; it should not touch the stem of the tree; it should 

 be turned over occasionally. 



All colonies of white ants {Termes spp.) in or near the planta- 

 tion should be destroyed either by poisoning, fumigating, or 

 "puddling." 



All decaying wood should be removed from about the roots 

 of the rubber. 



At the Turin Exposition three Grand Prix awards in addition 

 to one Diploma of Honor, have been granted the Vereinigte 

 Gummiwaaren-Fabriken Harburg-Wien, in recognition of the 

 varied excellence of its products. 



