u6 THE RUBBER TREE BOOK 



and to breed the best varieties. Many of the beautiful roses 

 which in so many varieties of shape, size, colour and perfume 

 adorn our gardens, have, by selection and cultivation for many 

 long years, been evolved from the common briar. The luscious 

 apples, also of many varieties, have been, by means of cultiva- 

 tion, grafting and pruning, improved out of recognition from 

 the little sour crab-apple. The ancestor of the faithful dog 

 man's truest friend is believed to have been the fierce and 

 treacherous wolf. The sheep, the ox, the horse have all been 

 bred and selected from poor and diminutive stock till they 

 have reached their present advanced specialized state. No 

 one wants any of these in their original natural state. Why 

 should anyone, then, wish to grow Hevea trees under wild 

 impoverished conditions? The argument in favour of such 

 conditions does not bear examination. 



Admitting that all these things are so, many planters will 

 say they cannot afford to conduct their estates on ideal prin- 

 ciples, but must take first, or, at least, equally, into considera- 

 tion pounds, shillings and pence. They will argue and not 

 unreasonably that they must conduct their estates so as to 

 obtain not only profits but the largest profits possible. This 

 cannot be objected to, provided that a sufficiently long view 

 is taken. As already stated, rubber plantations ought to be 

 regarded as a permanent investment, and should be conducted, 

 if possible, so as to secure this desirable end. Therefore it 

 would appear wise to secure this end, although it was at the 

 sacrifice of a proportion of the profits. Others will argue that 

 they will attain the same end by planting more* closely in early 

 stages, and, later on, thinning out to such a distance as indicated 

 above should it become necessary. This, however, is not so, 

 for the reasons already mentioned. Branches which, for want 

 of light and air, have become deprived of all foliage and rotted 

 off the trees, can never be replaced, even if the trees later on 

 are given more abundant supplies of light and air. For these 

 reasons, considered in the light of a permanent investment, 

 rubber plantations ought to be planted up at sufficient distances 

 from the commencement. 



While admitting freely that, for the first two or three years 

 of tapping, the yields of latex from trees planted at such a 

 distance as 30 feet by 30 feet will be considerably less per acre 



