34 



PARA RUBBER. 



Peradeniya Soils. 

 Mechanical Udagama 

 Composition. Swamps. 

 Per cent. Per cent. 

 Coarse sand and small stones 44-00 4-00 



100-00 100-00 

 Chemical Composition No. 81 

 Moisture . . . . 4-000 



Organic matter & combined water 9-200 

 Oxide of iron and manganese. . 8-400 

 Oxide of alumina . . 12215 



Lime . . . . 0060 



Magnesia . . . . 0-086 



Potash . . . . 0-092 



Phosphoric acid . . 0-038 



Soda . . . . 0-095 



Sulphuric acid . . Trace 



Chlorine . . . . 0-014 



Sand and silicates . . 65 -800 



Rubber Soils at 

 Henaratgoda. 

 1 2 



Soil under Soil from 



5-600 

 20-400 

 1-200 

 5-232 

 0-050 

 0-115 

 0-061 

 0-064 

 0-182 

 0-048 

 0-048 

 67-000 



Old 



Rubber. 



Per cent. 



38-00 



100-00 



1-200 



7-800 

 2-800 

 4-960 

 0-040 

 0-057 

 0-046 

 0031 

 0-046 

 0-007 



0-004 

 83-000 



Pasture 



Land. 



Per cent. 



25-00 



100-00 



1-600 

 7-000 

 2-000 

 6-315 

 0-060 

 0-072 

 0-038 

 0-031 

 0-080 

 Trace 

 0-004 

 82-800 



Containing Nitrogen 



Equal to Ammonia 



Lower oxide of iron 



Acidity 



Citric soluble potash 



Citric soluble phosphoric acid 



100-000 

 0-134 

 0-163 

 Nil 

 Faint 

 0-006 

 Trace 



100-000 

 0-448 

 0-544 

 Much 

 Much 

 0-009 

 Nil 



100-000 

 0-154 

 0-187 

 Trace 

 Much 

 0-005 

 Trace 



100-000 

 01 34 

 0-163 

 Fail- 

 Much 

 0-004 

 Trace 



Para Rubber Soils in Ceylon 



The extension of Para rubber cultivation in various parts of Cey- 

 lon is, in a general way, an indication of the suitability of the soil 

 and climate for this product, and it is therefore of importance to 

 dwell upon the soil characteristics in some of the more promising 

 districts, though these points should be considered in conjunction 

 with the climatic factors for the same areas. 



The large tracts of land in the up-country districts which are 

 richest from a chemical standpoint cannot be included in the Para 

 zone of the island on account of unfavourable climatic conditions. 

 The following notes and analyses of Ceylon soils are largely taken 

 from a circular* dealing with this subject. 



The soils in which rubber is cultivated in Ceylon are relatively 

 poor from a chemical standpoint. The organic matter and com- 

 bined water vary from about 2 to 20 per cent., the potash from 

 0-03 to 0-04 per cent., phosphoric acid from 0-01 to 0-1 per cent., 

 and the nitrogen from 01 to 0"5 per cent. But it has been proved 

 beyond doubt that the physical and climatic characteristics often 

 outweigh any advantages of richness in chemical properties. 



* R. 13. G. Circular on Para Rubber in Ceylon, No. 6, 1905. 



