260 THE RUBBER TREE BOOK 



plantations of Ceylon out of existence. This, however, may 

 not be always the case, and it behoves every planter to see that 

 his estates are kept in a thoroughly good state of plant sanita- 

 tion. Sound health is an essential if trees are not to be very 

 readily liable to attacks of fungoid diseases, and over-tapping 

 and close-planting and want of cultivation undoubtedly mean 

 that trees are in a sickly condition. This is a very grave danger. 

 Estates are often too large and generally much too close to- 

 gether. In Sumatra this is especially the case, as plantations 

 extend great distances almost without break or interruption. 

 A few planters have disease belts a few yards wide to divide off 

 their estates, but such meagre precautions would be of no avail. 



On the first sign of any important outbreak it would be 

 well if the Government of the country would order the whole 

 plantation affected to be felled and the timber thoroughly 

 burned. Once an epidemic spreads if one should ever occur 

 only immediate and heroic measures would be of any avail. 

 It is to be hoped that there may never be any necessity for such 

 measures, but there is so much capital now invested in rubber 

 cultivation, and the results of an epidemic would be so far- 

 reaching and disastrous, that the possibility should be contem- 

 plated and the nature of the immediate action to be taken 

 decided on by local Governments now. 



The fungoid diseases which attack Heveas may be divided 

 into three classes, namely : those which attack the roots, those 

 which attack the stem, and those which attack the branches. 



Of those which attack the roots of the Hevea the best- 

 known is Fomes semitostm. Wherever there are decaying roots 

 or large pieces of timber left on the soil, evidences of the exist- 

 ence of this pest are sure to be found. From the decaying 

 timber it spreads w r ith the greatest rapidity and attacks the 

 roots of healthy trees. The losses caused in this way are often 

 very serious. Where young trees have been planted on recently- 

 felled jungle-land from which all the roots of the former trees 

 have not been extracted, the ravages caused by Fomes are some- 

 times appalling. 



It is found that this is especially the case where the roots of 

 certain hardwood trees have been left in the ground. The 

 roots of hardwood trees have a special affinity for Fomes 

 semitostus, and when pieces of them are dug up out of the soil 



