TAPPING-KNIVES AND UTENSILS 177 



as they supplied a felt want in the coolie-lines and elsewhere, 

 serving to make up the deficiencies in domestic crockery. 

 When they were made lemon-shaped, and with the name of the 

 estate generally stamped on them, the demand for such purposes 

 fell off visibly and the situation was saved. Glass cups should 

 always be of clear glass, not red or green, as in such cases it is 

 not so easy to see that they are kept thoroughly clean as when 

 they are made of clear glass. The chief objection to the use 

 of glass cups is that they crack and split readily into fragments 

 under the glare of the strong tropical sun. In every estate 

 where they are of general use broken cups are to be seen lying 

 round the foot of the trees, and unless gathered up from time 

 to time, and buried deeply, they are apt to inflict nasty wounds 

 on the bare feet of the coolies. 



Porcelain (earthenware) cups, cheaply supplied from China 

 and Japan, are also used on many estates. They are easily 

 kept clean and do not crack so readily in the sun. 



Aluminium cups have recently come into favour. The 

 first cost is higher than that of other cups, but they are unbreak- 

 able, rustless, easily cleaned, and, as they are very light, freight 

 charges are lower. 



Whatever description of cup is in use, the cups should always 

 be kept scrupulously clean. Managers should never allow them 

 to be laid on the ground at the foot of the trees. When this is 

 done, dust is apt to blow into them, and with every shower of 

 rain they get spattered with mud. Many managers have 

 short sticks in the ground, and the cups are deposited upon 

 these upside down. These sticks, however, are constantly 

 decaying and breaking, and as every piece of dead wood upon 

 an estate, no matter how small, may be a source of fungal 

 disease, this is not an advisable method, although much better 

 than laying the cups on the ground. Some managers have 

 large nails driven into the trees, on which they suspend the cups ; 

 but this course is not free from objection, as the nails cause 

 wounds in the trees. The best way is certainly to deposit the 

 cups in wire hangers. These can be supplied by any large 

 estate-agency house. 



Spouts. Spouts are usually made of zinc or galvanized 

 iron. They should be of sufficient thickness and strength to 

 enable them to be pressed into the bark of the trees without 



