PLANTING DISTANCES 125 



accidents to which helpless human infants are liable have their 

 counterparts (generally dissimilar now that humanity has 

 become generally civilized, but in a savage state of existence 

 not so dissimilar as might be supposed) in the diseases, acci- 

 dents and risks which exact a heavy toll from young plants. 



During the childhood, as it might be described, of the young 

 trees, the mortality although not quite as excessive as in 

 their infancy is still comparatively great. The vacancies in 

 the case of young trees can, fortunately, be easily supplied. 

 The survivors, as in the case of humanity, have then a fair 

 expectation of life, as assurance society tables put it. Yet 

 disease and death are always at work thinning the ranks. Just 

 as it is with ourselves, other individuals take their places : the 

 mass is, more or less, always there, and the world moves on. 

 As years pass the survivors of the original band are few and 

 show all the signs of age. One or two hoary giants survive for 

 an apparently long period, but the day comes when their place 

 knows them no more. The vacant spaces left by the decay and 

 death of ancient Hevea trees will, no doubt, in due course be 

 filled up, but this will be a matter for the attention of another 

 generation of planters and need not specially concern us. 



