56 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON 



through rolls that would squeeze the excess water out, and at the same 

 time imprint the plantation name every few inches. Then the strips 

 could be hung up to dry and any degree of artificial heat applied that 

 was thought best. 



There have been suggested, also, a variety of quick coagulating 

 devices, such as endless belts that take a film of milk into a drying cham- 

 ber and deliver it to the other side coagulated and dried. Some such 

 plan may prevail, but as yet the planters are not ready for it. 



After many experiments the manager at Culloden has satisfied him- 

 self that only the very early morning or the late afternoon are the proper 



MR. HARRISON S BUNGALOW, CULLODEN. 



times to tap, as in the middle of the day the flow of latex is almost 

 nothing. The trees are therefore tapped from 4 until 7 A. M., and after 

 3.30 P. M. and as long as it is light. Indeed, the collection of the latex 

 is often done by torchlight. As an instance of Mr. Harrison's alertness 

 in getting all he can out of the trees with safety, he told me of a series 

 of experiments that he was about to institute for all night tapping. It 

 'seems he learned that certain sugar estates did all their cutting of the cane 

 by electric light, and that the amount of saccharine matter secured was 

 much larger than in the daytime, and as the habit of the-//fr<?a tree 



