t 376 -.] 



of the season, the exuding surface may be, and often is, as 

 much as 4 inches below the surface. The cuts are during the 

 whole of one season made about the same place, but in al- 

 ternate seasons, alternate sides of the tree are used for the tap? 

 ping; and as each season's cutting is thus above the previous, 

 season's, and on the opposite side,' the stem of the tree has, 

 if looked at from the side, a curious zigzag appearance. The 

 age of a tree can of course be at once counted up by enumerat- 

 ing the notches and adding 6 or 7, the number of years passed 

 before the first year's notch. When they are 46 years old 

 they are worth little as produce-bearing trees. At first the 

 size of the bared surface previous to the notching, is about 

 10 inches square; but it gets less and less, as the notches 

 come to the higher and narrower part of the trunk, and I have 

 seen old trees where not more than 4 inches square could be 

 found. It is somewhat remarkable that the notches are almost 

 always on the east and west sides of the tree, and very rarely 

 on the north and south sides ; also the first notch appears to 

 be made, by far the majority of instances, on the east side. 



560. " As to the produce of one tree, one may expect 

 from a good tree a regular average of 5 srs. per night (exclud- 

 ing the quiescent nights). The colder and clearer the weather 

 the more copious and rich the produce. In the beginning of 

 November tapping has begun. In December and January the 

 juice flows best, beginning sometimes as early as 3 p. M., and 

 it dwindles away as the warm days of March come. If the 

 cultivator begins too early ; or carries on too late, he will lose 

 in quality and quantity as much as he will gain by extending 

 the tapping season. But high prices begin in October, and 

 there are not many who can resist the temptation on running 

 into market with their premature produce. 



561. '* During the whole of the tapping season a good 

 cultivator will keep his grove perfectly clean and free from 

 jungle or even grass. 



562. " So much then for tapping. The next process is the 



