CHAPTER IX 



ELEVATION 



RUBBER is grown as high as 4000 feet in Southern India, 

 but, as might be expected, the rate of growth has been 

 extremely slow and the yields of latex from trees of quite a 

 respectable age are very meagre indeed. 



In Ceylon rubber is grown to elevations of 2000 to 2500 

 feet on the hillsides. At the lower of these two elevations the 

 rubber does fairly well, but takes a year or two years longer to 

 come into bearing than in the low-country estates. At a 

 height of 2500 feet the rubber trees look very backward for 

 their age and are sorely tried by the winds which are pre- 

 valent. It is questionable whether the returns of latex will 

 ever be sufficiently large to cover working expenses and yield a 

 profit. 



In Sumatra East Coast, on the high hills behind the Ser- 

 dang district, there are several rubber plantations. When last 

 visited the rubber had a distinctly pinched appearance, and 

 prospects did not seem very hopeful. 



In Java also there are some estates planted from 1500 to 

 2000 feet above sea-level. While the growth seemed really 

 quite fair and much better than in the before-mentioned in- 

 stances, the trees did not seem to tap very well, the amount of 

 latex in the cups from good-sized trees being somewhat dis- 

 appointing. 



There are other crops than rubber, such as tea and coffee, 

 for which estates at high elevations are much better suited. 

 The value of a rubber estate at anything over 2000 feet eleva- 

 tion anywhere might well be taken at about one-third of that 

 of a low-country estate, and would then perhaps be over- 

 estimated. 



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