

RUBBER PLANTING in 



Rate of Growth. 



In Ceylon under favourable conditions Hevea trees 

 will grow in height at the rate of 6 to 10 feet per annum 

 for the first three or four years after planting. In girth 

 the increase may be about 3 to 4 inches per annum 

 during the first few years. After this the rate may be 

 slightly increased until the lateral branches have com- 

 pletely met, and then growth becomes slower once 

 more. The greatest development takes place after the 

 third year. Some of the oldest trees in Ceylon, at 

 35 years of age, had a girth of over 100 inches, and 

 were about 80 feet in height. In Malaya the average 

 growth of young trees is still more rapid, and it has 

 been stated that the girth of four-year-old trees in the 

 Federated Malay States is generally equal to that of 

 five-year-old trees in Ceylon. The age of the trees is 

 always reckoned from the time of planting, and not from 

 the date of sowing the seed. 



Weeding. 



We next come to the vexed question of weeding. 

 It is the universal opinion of practical planters that 

 clean weeding from the burn off is cheapest in the long 

 run, and leads to better growth of the trees than any 

 other system. Cover plants should not be regarded as a 

 substitute for weeding. Leguminous plants if grown as 

 a source of nitrogen are to be regarded as a part of the 



