RUBBER 117 



much the better. The flow will be as great on 

 removal of a thin shaving as if a thick one be 

 taken. 



A great deal remains to be discovered as to the 

 best interval to allow between each paring. 

 Recent experiments in Ceylon point to the prob- 

 ability of equal results being obtained from weekly 

 parings and from alternate day tappings. Should 

 this prove to be a fact, it will, besides considerably 

 lessening the cost of the Rubber, result in an 

 enormous saving of bark to the trees. The system 

 we ourselves have found satisfactory is alternate 

 day tappings. 



The opening cut produces no Rubber at all, and 

 the cups need not be placed. At the second tap- 

 ping, a small amount of latex will be seen to flow, 

 and the amount will increase with each tapping, 

 until in about a month after commencing the 

 maximum is reached. This peculiarity of the 

 Para tree of yielding only to persistent tapping is 

 known as wound response. Different trees 

 respond differently, and if it is found that indi- 

 vidual trees are not yielding, the paring should be 

 persisted in, unless, of course, some reason Is 

 obvious. Our trees at Kivuvu kept up the maxi- 



