44 



PARA RUBBER. 



Where cattle manure, green manure, leaf -mould, or bulky artificial 

 manure is used on rubber estates a slightly different method can be 

 adopted. The object in such manuring is not only to supply at a 

 very short notice ingredients required for the rapid growth of parts of 

 the plant, but to lead to the development of a quicker-growing, larger, 

 and stronger root system. This result can be obtained if the organic 

 manure is mixed with the soil around the trees at a definite distance 

 according to the age of the tree. The rootlets of the Para rubber tree 

 grow approximately at the rate of 10 to 12 inches per year, radially, 

 in good free soil, and the manure can be applied at a distance just 

 within reach of the last- formed rootlets. Around each tree a 

 shallow trench can be dug, about 12 inches wide and gradually in- 

 creasing in depth from the tree outwards to a maximum depth of six 

 to ten inches. The manure can then be mixed with part of the soil, 

 returned to the trench, and subsequently covered with the balance 

 of soil available. The distance of the trench from the tree should 

 be approximately 2 feet for two-year-old trees, 3 feet for three-year- 

 old trees, an allowance of about ten inches to one foot per year being 

 made in each subsequent year until the trees are 6 to 8 years old, 

 when the lateral roots will probably have met. The 

 accompanying illustration on Plate 5, Series A, shows the system 

 applied to young plants. In this instance the leaves of crotalaria, 

 dadaps, and groundnuts were buried in the trenches after mixing 

 with lime and soil. The Para rubber plants were only six months 

 old and the trenches 6 to 9 inches from the stems. By such a system 

 of manuring the rubber plants will be able to obtain a supply of 

 food at a very early stage, and the development of the rootlets 

 from within outwards be considerably accelerated. Once the 

 rootlets of adjacent trees have met, the manure should be either 

 buried in shallow trenches between the trees or broadcasted and 

 the ground forked to a depth of 4 to 6 inches. 



Constituents in Woody Stems and Twigs. 



In order to furnish some idea of the constituents of various parts 

 of the rubber tree the following synopsis is given of the constituents 

 of the fresh material, as determined by Mr. A. Bruce : — * 



Analysis of Parts of a Para Rubber Tree dried at 100°c. 

 Decayed 



* Circular, iNo. U, /. c. 



