112 PLANTING IN UGANDA 



enough, owing to the blade of the tapping-knife which was 

 then in use being too shallow to cut clean on to the cambium. 

 The " Burgess " knife has the advantage of enabling the 

 tapper to cut right down to the cambium. Care, of course, 

 must be exercised by the tapper to see that he does not cut 

 through the cambium. Tapping was commenced with the 

 new knife on 1st January, and continued till 31st March ; it 

 will be observed by the results obtained, a resume of which 

 is given, that a very fair yield may be anticipated from Para 

 trees in this country. 



The use of a pricking implement to be used 

 alternately with the paring knife is now practi- 

 cally discontinued. The results following prick- 

 ing were found most injurious, an exceedingly 

 rough bark renewal with many woody growths 

 being produced, which rendered retapping a most 

 difficult matter. There is, moreover, very grave 

 doubt if the yield in Rubber per unit of bark was 

 increased by pricking in addition to paring. 



The collecting cups for the latex and all vessels 

 in which it is afterwards put should be of glass or 

 enamel-ware, or some other easily cleaned material. 

 Dirty vessels quickly contaminate the latex. It is 

 almost impossible to keep tin sufficiently clean. 



Tapping. We do not propose to discuss all the 

 various systems of tapping which have been 

 evolved, but shall confine ourselves to what has 



