19 



Mr. Spring : And carrying lots of soil, too. (Laughter.) 



Mr. Prior : The .system I have tried is one of short, blind drains 

 quite level. According to the contour of the hill it goes all round 

 and catches all the water. The trees grow well and there is no 

 wash. I have seen the old Ceylon system by which the whole 

 hill is washed away and there are tearing torrents, so that the hill 

 gets nothing of the water to be retained for the trees. 



Mr. Spring : I have not tried that system you have practised, 

 but I think it is a vei-y good system. It would have as much 

 beneficial effect as in the terracing system. 



Mr. A. H. Malet next gave his experience of manuring on a 

 30-acre block. That was the only block on the estate that had 

 not a single case of pink disease that year. (Hear, hear.) 



The Chairman : Have you got any analysis of the mixture you 

 tried ? 



Mr. Malet : Yes, I think so. A sample of the soil was sent to 

 Mr. Kelway Bamber (Agricultural Chemist, Ceylon), to be analysed, 

 and on the analysis of the soil the manure was made out. 



Another planter said that in his experience he had found that 

 rubber trees really fed their roots on the surface. It seemed strange, 

 therefore, to find that both Mr. Vesterdal and Mr. Spring recom- 

 mended that the soil should be dug down and that the trees should 

 teed below. How could such an idea be reconciled with the views 

 expressed P 



The Chairman -. I think that you will take it from either 

 gentleman that what they intended to imply was that as the roots 

 get down to the more permanent manure you get better results. 



Mr. Spring : The principal ideals in the matter of cultivation 

 are to get the roots to go down and stop too much evaporation of 

 moisture. If you get that done, I think it would be found beneficial 

 to get the roots down so that you can continue the cultivation. 



