RUBBER 111 



We have tried many knives, and have finally 

 decided on the simplest form of implement, with- 

 out a guard at all. This is the " Burgess 

 Gauge " patent. This knife is in the form of a 

 chisel with an almost right-angled cutting edge. 

 It can be used by pushing or dragging. It is light 

 in make, easy to use, and curved so that there is no 

 difficulty in reaching any part of the trunk with it. 

 Other advantages it possesses are that it is easily 

 sharpened, and is cheap in price. Skill in its use 

 is, of course, necessary to enable the tapper to use 

 it quickly and with precision; but we believe the 

 necessary skill is attained more quickly with this 

 knife than with any other we have seen. The 

 f Gauge " is a paring knife only, but the makers 

 supply a suitable knife for making the initial cuts. 

 The latter is, of course, only necessary in opening 

 a new cut. Writing of the " Burgess Gauge" 

 knife in the latest Annual Eeport of the Botanical, 

 Forestry, and Scientific Department, Mr. W. E. 

 Rutter says : 



Previous to the adoption of the " Burgess Gauge " tap- 

 ping knife by this Department, the Para trees in the Gardens 

 did not yield latex commensurate with their age and girth. 

 This was thought to be on account of climatic influences, but 

 it was discovered that the trees had not been tapped deep 



