30 



operation. When 4 years old a small crop is already ob- 

 tained by lopping the trees. The lopping of the trees is 

 regularly continued until the tree has attained to matu- 

 rity and is fit to be cut down. 



The crop is gathered in four different ways, viz. : 



1. The whole tree is dug out; 



2. It is chopped off at the root; 



3. The bark is cut in bands and the tree is wrapped 

 up in moss, that the bark may recover; 



4. The bark is scraped off by means of a small 

 plane up to the cambium. Generally, only half of the 

 bark is taken off and the other half is not touched till 

 the first is sufficiently restored. The bark is peeled off 

 with knives of bamboo or horn. Iron knives wound the 

 bark or discolour it. 



In Java all four ways have been tried, but gradually 

 the greater part of the planters have broken with the 

 methods mentioned under 2, 3 and 4 above, and keep ex- 

 clusively to the first mentioned, i. e. digging out the 

 whole tree. 



8. The gathered bark is dried in the sun, on 

 drying-apparatus or over the fire on ii'on-plates. On one side 

 of the plates, which rest on little walls, there is the oven and 

 at the other side the chimney so as to permit the fire 

 and smoke to pass under the plates. More expensive 

 drying-apparatus is the Jackson's siroccos in which the 

 fire itself causes the air-circulation. 



