TAPPING 173 



his limit. Probably he might overtake a few more in the latter 

 instance, as he would have less walking to do when attending 

 to 200 trees than when attending to 300 trees, but the difference 

 would be but slight. 



Tapping-costs are, therefore, very materially affected by 

 two factors in particular in addition to minor ones which might 

 be mentioned. In the first place, the system of tapping adopted 

 has a very direct influence. So far as results to date indicate, 

 the single half-spiral cut is so expeditious and gives such good 

 returns that it would appear to be the most economical in 

 practice. Next in economy would come the single broad V, 

 followed by three cuts on the quarter-section half-herring-bone 

 system. In the second place, tapping-costs are swollen or re- 

 duced according to the number of trees tapped. If, owing to only 

 a limited number of trees being in bearing, the trees are at irre- 

 gular intervals and widely scattered, then costs are high. If, 

 on account of insufficient or badly organized labour, only two 

 hundred trees are tapped instead of three hundred as on a neigh- 

 bouring estate, then tapping-costs are 50 per cent, higher in 

 the one case than in the other. 



The reasons why trees individually yield smaller returns of 

 latex when a coolie is given too large a number to tap are two- 

 fold. In the first place, the tapping cannot, or at least will 

 not, be so carefully done as if the number allotted to the coolie 

 to tap was more moderate. It takes considerable skill and care 

 to properly tap a Hevea tree, going in sufficiently deep to draw 

 the laticiferous cells to the best advantage without at the same 

 time causing any injury to the trees. When, therefore, the 

 number of trees which the coolie has to tap, and the number of 

 cuts he has to make, are too large, sufficient time and sufficient 

 care are not bestowed on the operation, as the coolie is anxious 

 to finish off his round. The tapping is not done so deeply 

 because, although the coolie might be fined or punished for caus- 

 ing wounds while working in haste, he is not, as a rule, penalized 

 on account of his tapping being a little shallower than it might. 



In the second place, an obvious enough reason why the 

 yields of latex per tree are reduced is because much of the 

 tapping will, necessarily, have to be done when the day is well 

 advanced and the heat of the sun has greatly increased. All 

 planters are aware that latex flows best early in the morning 



