44 PARA RUBBER. 



nearest the ground ; this being the most accessible region for 

 tapping operations. 



Horticulturists who wish to alter the natural habit of tall 

 growing or straggly plants into a compact or standard habit 

 either disbud or prune them when young. Tea and coffee 

 planters adopt similar methods to encourage their crops to 

 assume a low-branched habit to facilitate the harvesting of the 

 "leaf" and "berry" respectively. 



The inclination of Hevea trees to form long unbranched 

 stems may also be checked by disbudding and pruning the 

 young trees. The former operation is preferred as less loss in 

 growth is associated with it. Trees which have grown 7 or 8 

 feet high without exhibiting signs of branching should have 

 their terminal buds removed ; this may either be effected with 

 the thumb-nail or a sharp knife. New shoots are then produced 

 in the axils of some of the leaves nearest the apex of the plant. 

 These shoots may be similarly treated until the desired number 

 of branches has been obtained. Some trees obstinately refuse to 

 produce more than one new shoot when the first bud is removed, 

 but if the process be repeated the wished-for result will be 

 secured. As it is undesirable to allow branches to develop from 

 the area which it is proposed to tap, buds which appear thereon 

 should also be removed. Young trees, which have been allowed 

 to grow beyond the height at which branching is desired, may 

 be pruned back to this height. It is, however, advisable to take 

 this work in hand as early as possible, both to prevent the loss 

 of growth and as it will be usually found that new buds are more 

 readily encouraged to form on the young wood. 



Sturdy, compact growing trees are far less liable to be 

 broken by wind than long whippy specimens. In the chapter 

 on tapping it will be shown that under ordinary conditions 

 tapping operations may commence when trees have acquired a 

 girth of 20 inches at 3 feet from the ground. It will thus 

 be apparent that trees whose girth has been increased by dis- 

 budding or pruning will come into bearing at an earlier age 

 than those left to grow naturally. 



