46 THE WHOLE ART OF RUBBER-GROWING 



saplings, placed in position, it is then that the planter 

 must exercise the greatest and most careful super- 

 vision in order to provide against animal and insect 

 ravages, and the dangers arising from abnormal 

 growth of the rank weeds and grasses that are always 

 on hand ready to battle out the problem of existence 

 with cultivated rubber. It is a good plan to weed 

 around the plants at a diameter of 6 feet every month 

 and to cut down every two months all other growth and 

 lay it as top mulch over the roots of growing trees. 

 Nothing benefits the plants so much as this treat- 

 ment. At the end of the season the trees should be 

 of a stature sufficient to enable them to take care of 

 themselves for the next three months, when they will 

 have attained an age of one year. This is the period 

 when the proprietor should go carefully over his 

 plantation and condemn out of hand all trees that 

 have failed to " bole " or that show inclination to 

 branch near the ground. These must be destroyed, 

 together with any that exhibit signs of insect or 

 fungoid ravages, and should be burnt straightway. 



When the trees are six months old they may 

 be manured lightly with potash conglomerates, or a 

 mixture of lime, castor cake and basic slag. These 

 should be " dusted " by hand over the whole line of 

 rubber represented by a 3-feet boundary of each side 

 of the tree and be repeated every six months until the 

 trees are 3^ years old, when they may safely be asked 

 to live the remaining year of a playtime existence in a 

 loyal endeavour to rejoice the heart of the patient 

 planter when first he applies the knife at the experi- 

 mental tapping stage. 



