PARA RUBBER. 



29 



lateral shoots will soon appear in the axils of the leaves on the 

 " green wood " of the stem. The object is simply to produce a 

 forked tree, the advantages of which can be observed on any young 

 rubber plantation. If the plants have been allowed to grow too 

 high it is too late to perform the operation. 



This treatment has reference only to young clearings of Para 

 rubber, but, considering how many thousands of acres are being 

 yearly planted with this product and the possibility of appreciably 

 reducing the long years of waiting, it is important that it should be 

 carefully considered and tried wherever possible. 



The large acreages of rubber trees planted during the last two years 

 will in all probability be regularly tapped as soon as they have attain- 

 ed the proper circumference, and it is therefore necessary to do all in 

 one's power to help the trees on to the desired condition. Xot only 

 is it necessary to get a return as quickly as possible, but it is advisable 

 to place the rubber on the market while the price is high, without 

 unduly taxing the powers of the tree. The lower six feet of each 

 tree will provide work for about 3 years' systematic and economic 

 tapping, and the question of high tapping, as at present being carried 

 out at Henaratgoda and elsewhere, can perhaps be dismissed. 



If the young plants are made to branch too much there may be a 

 disadvantage, as the foliage of adjacent trees may interfere. In 

 such case, however, were it desirable, the excessive branch develop- 

 ment could be kept down by repetitional pruning. It should 

 be remembered that the lateral shoots, induced by pruning the 

 terminal bud, ultimately form stout branches which tend to grow 

 upwards and not horizontally. 



Effect of Pruning Para Rubber Trees. 

 Dimensions of straight-stemmed and forked Trees in Ceylon. 



