June i, 1904] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



299 



RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON AND THE MALAY STATES. 



As Seen by The Editor of " The India Rubber World." 



THIRD LETTER. 

 Tapping Rubber Trees at Peradeniya Garden. — Visit to the New 

 Experiment Station.— Seventy five year old Ficus Elastica. — The 

 Stump Speech. — Kandy. — Temple of the Sacred Tooth. — Hotel 

 Tips. — On the Way to Kalatura. — Early Tea at the " Rest House." 

 — Mr. Harrison and Culloden Estate. 



SPEAKING again of canker, and the absence of the disease 

 on the South American Hevea trees, Mr. Carruthers 

 said that it was quite possible that individual trees there 

 might have been attacked by it, but as the trees are wild, 

 and grow singly, the disease, after exhausting its victim, would 

 probably die out, as it would have no other Hevea near enough 

 to reach. This of course led up to what has been proved since 

 planting of any sort has been on any considerable scale. That 

 is the occurrence of diseases and insects unknown before, but 

 which found in great plantings of a single kind the most favor- 

 able field for rapid growth and reproduction. 



HEVEA BRASILIENSIS." 

 [Leaves ami nuts on greatly reduced scale] 



It was while discussing these subjects that we visited the ad- 

 ministration buildings of the gardens. These are neat and 

 business like, and with their tropical setting form a very pretty 

 picture. We visited the museum, where sections of the woods 

 in which the ; sland is very rich are displayed ; while seeds, 

 fruits, and :rything pertaining to the life of the plant 

 growths is carefully prepared and preserved. He also showed 

 me the offices of Director Willis, his own laboratory — where 

 some very interesting experiments in determining the vitality 

 of the Hevea nut were then being carried on — introduced me 

 to Mr. E. E. Green, f.e.S., the government entomologist, and 

 then led me to some of the 15 year old Para trees, which we 

 tapped. It was really too near the middle of the day for the 

 latex to do more than ooze out very slowly. The tool used is 

 like that shown in the illustration, and is so small that at first 

 it would seem to be of little use, particularly when one has in 



mind machete work. It only needed a very few cuts with it, 

 however, to convince me of its usefulness; indeed, for the 

 Hevea it is far superior to any form of machete that I have seen. 

 The incision is really a drawing cut that takes out a strip of 

 bark, laying the cambium bare. The cut is clean, small, and 

 may be made by the most unskilful coolie with but little chance 

 of injuring the tree. I had with me a small two bladed tapping 

 axe invented by a friend in the United Stales, which I had 

 brought along to test. We all tried it, but the simple little 

 tool far outdistanced it. Leaving the collecting and straining 

 of the latex to the coolies, Mr. Carruthers took me to his 

 bungalow for breakfast, which meal occurs at noon, and there 

 discussed various phases of rubber planting. In referring to 

 the government plantations of Hevea, he said that there were 

 about 150 acres now planted, and it had not been decided yet 

 just how they would be administered. According to his figur- 

 ing, these plantings cost about 1200 rupees [ = §389 32] an acre 

 when matured. If they are to be leased under proper restric- 

 tions, the opinion seemed to be that the government should 

 not reap more than 5 per cent, interest on its venture. But 



HEVEA" RU8BER TREE. 

 I Suspended, to show extensive lateral root growth.] 



