RUBBER PLANTING 145 



once the requisite skill is attained, the greater 

 adaptability of the simpler tool and the greater ease 

 with which it can be kept sharp, enable the worker 

 to preserve a very straight line and to remove a very 

 thin shaving, keeping at the same time an accurate 

 depth of cut. 



Angle of Cut. 



The fact that an angle of 45 degrees with the 

 horizon is often adopted for the lateral cuts is largely 

 a matter of convention. A more acute angle than 

 45 degrees is seldom used, but flatter cuts are adopted 

 on a good many estates. Careful and prolonged experi- 

 ments are required before any definite statement can 

 be made as to what is the best angle under various 

 circumstances and with different systems of tapping. A 

 flatter cut opens the same number of latex vessels as a 

 more acute cut extending over the same horizontal 

 distance, and consequently releases an equal amount of 

 latex with the removal of less bark. On the other hand, 

 the latex flows more freely along a steeper cut, and 

 a smaller proportion of scrap is thus obtained. When 

 the consistency of the latex is moderately thin, the 

 angle of the cut can probably be reduced to one of 

 about 30 degrees without any loss of flow and with some 

 slight saving of bark. 



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