MANIHOT GLAZIOVII 77 



method of dealing with the tree it had been con- 

 demned and was giving place to Hevea. 



After making careful inquiries in other districts, 

 I found that the real cause why these unfortunate 

 trees had been condemned was that the planter, 

 after having got his tree to maturity, did not know 

 what to do with it ; and there appeared to be nobody 

 who could assist him in the matter. The areas of 

 Ceara rubber that would be priceless now as pro- 

 ducing lands had been sacrificed to this want of 

 knowledge. 



From my own observation I should say that the 

 existing tree is not that introduced into Ceylon by the 

 botanist Cross, but is from seed obtained very largely 

 in the Rio de Janeiro district, with the result that 

 most of the Ceara in Ceylon is of a hybrid character, 

 and therefore the true Manihot is only to be met with 

 in a few isolated districts. It is, nevertheless, a very 

 good tree, and, if properly handled, will always be 

 more profitable to the planter than any other kind of 

 rubber he can grow, provided that the climate and 

 other conditions are suitable. 



The best altitude for Ceara rubber is from 800 feet 

 to 3700 feet ; it requires to be closely planted — at 

 least 600 to the acre. It does not like its " feet 

 wet ", or, in other words, it requires full measure 

 of 52 inches of rain, but delights in four or five 

 months of dry, hot weather. It is rather intolerant 

 of wind, and, being a very quick grower, will shoot 

 from 12 to 18 feet in a year from seed at stake ! 

 It is a good plan, as already stated, to provide wind 

 belts on all exposed positions by planting the Darien 



