COLLECTING THE LATEX. 8 1 



months, and seem so little the worse that he (M. Bonnechaux) 

 declares he knows of trees which had been tapped thus for eighty 

 years. The same writer states* that trees have been tapped off 

 and on during fifty years, and still yield a plentiful supply of 

 latex. 



It is impossible to lay down any hard-and-fast rules regarding 

 the time which should elapse between each successive tapping, 

 as this must necessarily depend upon the amount of damage 

 done to the trees by tapping and their general health. 'It is not 

 so much the loss of latex which is injurious to the tree as the 

 amount of wounding required to obtain it. 



V-SHAPED INCISIONS. 



What is known as the V method of tapping is the one which 

 was first generally adopted by Ceylon planters. 



On commencing operations, a row of V-shaped incisions is 

 made in the trunk of the tree at about 6 feet from the ground. 

 The sides of the V's are about 6 inches long, and about the 

 same distance apart at the open end. A space of 5 or 6 

 inches is left between each V. 



A small vessel, usually made of tin, about 2 inches by 2 

 inches and capable of holding about 6 ounces of latex, is fixed 

 at the apex of the V to collect the latex by pressjng the edge of 

 the tin 'into the bark. On the following day another row of 

 similar incisions is made 5 or 6 inches below the last, and so 

 on each succeeding day until the base of the tree is reached. A 

 second series of similar incisions is then made within the first, 

 commencing at the top row ; this is continued as before, one row 

 each day, until the base of the tree is again reached. Sometimes 

 a third and even a fourth series of inner V's is made. But the 

 extent of tapping is regulated by the size of the trees operated 

 on, and the quantity of latex obtainable. On some estates the 

 trees are tapped once and on others twice a year. 



A modification of this method suggested by the writer in 

 1904 in the first edition of this work is as follows : 



A row of incisions similar to those shown on Fig. 12 should 

 be made round the trunk of the tree about li inch apart, and at 



* Straits Settlements Agricultural Bulletin, Dec. 1901. 

 F 



