RUBBER CULTIVATION. 



CULTIVATION AND MANURING. 



By a. p. N. Vkstbrdal, 



(General Manager, Mount Austin Estates, Johore.) 

 "X/TANY interesting articles on tillage of soil and various other 

 matters in connection with this qnestion have from time to 

 time appeared in the Agricultural Bulletin, and what has l)een 

 mentioned in those articles \ shall only tonch lightly upon. 



The general principles of cultivation will apply to most crops, 

 but of tropical agricnltui'e T only know rubber, and what T have to 

 say will, therefoi'e. refer only to rubber trees, and mostly to those 

 ]ilanted on poor undulating land. Trees planted on virgin land or 

 alluvial soil will continue for many yeai's to grow well and to yield 

 well, and although T do not doubt that cultivation would increase the 

 crops anywhere, it is, for the present, not required here to the same 

 extent as it is on poor land. 



All over the Peninsula large areas formerly cultivated with 

 pine-apples, gambier and tapioca have been planted with rubber. 

 The state of such land is well known, it is always up in lalang and 

 blukar, and, generally speaking, it is exhausted ; firstly, on account of 

 the crops taken, and secondlv, because of the'freqivent burnings of the 

 lalang. 



Through fii'es some valuable foodstufp is always wasted, not 

 only what goes away in the air by the burning process itself, but 

 also what is afterwards washed n way with the ashes by heavy rains 

 even on gently sloping liills. 



Trees planted on this kind of land take a long time to reach 

 maturity, and the result is often far below average. It will always 

 be below average, if nothing is done to help the trees al(5ng. 



The usual method of clean weeding is not so satisfactory here as 

 it is on good flat land. It is certainly the cheapest, but in this 

 particular case the cheapest, in my opinion, is not the best, as it will 

 sooner or latei- lead to retarded growth of the trees. In some 

 instances the retardation is shown when the trees are from two to 

 three years old, and in other cases it is not noticeable until tapping 

 has commenced. 



It is always said that tapping does not hurt a tree, and it is true 

 that it does not hurt those growing on first class soil, l>ut it hurts 

 weak trees. Whether the cause is removal of latex or removal of 

 bark, t do not know, ])ut the fact remains, that trees in tapping do 

 not grow so quick as trees not in tapping. It is not unusual that 



