26 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON 



Director Thwaites, when 70,000 seeds, sent from the Amazon to Kew 

 gardens, London, were set out, only four per cent, of them germinating. 

 From there about two thousand plants were sent in wardian cases to 

 Ceylon in charge of an experienced man, Mr. W. Chapman, and ninety 

 per cent, reached the gardens in an excellent condition. These were 

 set out in bamboo pots and the next season were transferred from Pera- 

 deniya to Heneratgoda and flourished almost from the beginning, but 

 the planters had set their hearts on the Ceara tree and paid little atten- 



"HEVEA BRASILIENSIS." 

 [Leaves and nuts on greatly reduced scale.] 



tion to the reports that the Director of the Gardens, Dr. Trimen, Dr. 

 Thwaites' successor, made from time to time as to their growth. 



In 1883 several of the Hevea trees at Heneratgoda flowered, and 

 from the ripened seeds two hundred and sixty plants were raised and dis- 

 tributed to various planters. One year later, one thousand plants were 

 raised in the same way and sent out. 



In 1886, the "Para plantation at Heneratgoda was thinned out, all 

 of the smaller trees being cut down, after which there was a noticeable 

 improvement in the growth of the remainder. Seeds were sent that 



