26 PARA RUBBER, 



In order to allow the plants to develop freely in circumference the 

 maximum distance should be allowed, as the desired length of trunk 

 is usually obtained even when the Para rubber tree is grown in 

 the open. From considerations of the condition of trees from 2 to 

 20 years old, the following table is compiled in order to show the 

 probable number of Para rubber trees of known age an estate can 

 bear without interfering with the natural growth of the plants :— 



This shows the approximate number of trees to the acre at differ- 

 ent ages without any interference of the branches of adjacent trees 

 with one another. There is, however, no objection to the branches 

 of trees partially overlapping, and it is more than likely that any 

 excessive branch development will be kept back by pruning or 

 pollarding rather than by reducing the number of trees below 200 

 to the acre. 



Holing. — The question of holing should be well considered, as the 

 Para rubber plant is a greedy feeder and responds to generous treat- 

 ment. The holes should be 1 \ foot deep and as wide in area as pos- 

 sible, and if made \\ x 2 x 2 feet they would not be any too large. 

 The larger the holes, the better for the plant. Good holing will give 

 the plants an excellent start ; the dribbling in of seeds in small 

 alavangoe holes is not to be recommended. It is hardly necessary 

 to point out that the planting operations should be carried out when 

 rain is plentiful ; the plants should, if possible, be stumped and every 

 care taken to avoid unnecessary destruction of the young roots. 

 The stumps will stand one or two weeks' drought, but if dry weather 

 continues for a long period the soil around the plants should be 

 shaded. In some instances, where it has been necessary to plant in 

 moderately dry weather, the nurseries have been flooded for two or 

 three days prior to the plants being removed, and the results have 

 been considered good 



Distance in Planting. 



Johnson recommends planting 15' x 15' to 20' x 20', and after- 

 wards thinning out. If the estate is planted for rubber alone, and 

 all ideas of catch crops are disregarded, then a distance of 10 feet by 

 10 feet can be allowed in planting ; but when the trees are six years 

 old the branches will certainly have met. On such an estate individual 

 trees eould be tapped on the full spiral system until they died, 



