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PARA RUBBER. 



Best Yielding Aeeas. 



Experiments to prove which is the best area to tap have been 

 carried out by many observers. The larger flow at the base of the 

 trunk than from higher parts has been noticed by Parkin and 

 others in Ceylon, by Seaton in India, by Haas in Java, by Arden 

 in the Straits, as well as by native collectors in the Amazon 

 valley. It is on account of this that the idea of increasing the lower 

 tapping area, by pruning the young plants and retaining a few of the 

 basal shoots to grow into leaders in after years, is often recom- 

 mended, for instead of one stem there might be two or three 

 available for tapping. If only one stem is retained, it will show a 

 large increase in circumference. 



Results of Experiments regarding Quality 

 and Quantity. 



Experiments in the Straits. 



The following experimental tappings by Burgess* indicate the 

 q uality of the rubber from different parts of the plants : — 



' ' It will be noted that the latex from the higher portions of 

 the trunk are, in the above experiments, poorer in rubber than 

 the latex from lower down — at the same time the proportional 

 amount of resin in the latex appears to decrease." 



The following experiments f indicate that the lower part up to 

 98 cm. (1 cm. equals to 0'39 inch) yields considerably more rubber 

 than the higher parts : — 



* Burgess in Agricultural Bulletin of the Straits & F.M. S., May, 1904. 

 f L. Hevea Asiatique, M. Collet. 



