130 



THE PARA RUBBER TREE 



every third day, and it was arranged that it should 

 cease in the three groups when 12, 9, and 6 in. of bark 

 had been excised, in order that the whole of the original 

 bark should not be removed before the end of four 

 years. The following figures showing the progress of the 

 experiments have been published : 



It will be noticed that there was very little difference 

 in the yield of rubber per tapping whether the incisions 

 extended over one-fom'th, one-thu"d, or one-half of the 

 circumference. 



The results of these trial tappuigs of Para trees in 

 Southern Nigeria must be regarded as very satisfactory. 

 Eighteen- and nineteen-year-old trees at Ebute Metta 

 have furnished 3 to 4 lb. of rubber diu-mg seven months, 

 whilst fourteen-year-old trees at Calabar gave 2 lb. 5 oz. 

 of rubber each when tapped from June 1910 to February 

 1911. At Orugbo 2G0 nine-year-old trees gave an average 

 of 1 lb. of rubber in three and a half months, and at 

 Sapele 200 five-year-old trees, tapped for the first time, 

 furnished over l^ lb. each, from sixty-three lappings 

 every third day. These figm'es compare favourably 

 with those recorded in the East, and promise well for 

 the success of the industry in Southern Nigeria. 



Gold Coast. — A number of tappmg experiments 

 have been conducted in the Gold Coast on Para trees 

 growing at Aburi and Tarquah, and the results obtained 

 are given in the followmg account : 



At Aburi fourteen trees planted 15 ft. by 15 ft. in 

 1900 and 1901 were tapped by the half-spu'al system 

 three times a week from November 19 to December 31, 

 1908, and gave 2 lb. 8^ oz. of dry rubber. This yield is 

 equivalent to 29 oz. of dry rubber per tree in cigliteen 

 tappiigs extending over six weeks, or 016 oz. per tree 

 per tapping. 



