THE CEARA RUBBER TREE 143 



Ceara trees are generally grown at distances varying 

 from ft. by (> ft. to IG ft.' by 10 ft. In Brazil the trees 

 are usually planted very closely, about G ft. by (5 ft. or 

 1,000 trees to the acre. In German East Africa 10 ft. 

 by 10 ft. was formerly adopted, giving 435 trees })er acre, 

 but wider planting (about 300 trees per acre) is now usual, 

 fn the East Africa Protectorate and Nyasaland 12 ft. by 

 12 ft., giving 300 trees per acre, is customary. On some 

 estates in Nyasaland, however, the trees have been planted 

 9 ft. b}^ 9 ft., or 540 per acre, and it is stated that if the soil 

 is sufficiently rich to carry such a number of trees the 

 plan is advantageous, as the dense shade which is quickly 

 formed serves not only to protect the soil from exposure 

 to the sun and to check the growth of weeds, but also 

 prevents the bark of the trees from being scorched, and 

 renders it possible to tap fiu-ther into the dry season than 

 when the trees are more widely spaced. In some cases 

 Ceara trees have been planted in East Africa 6 ft. by 

 12 ft., or 6 ft. by 6 ft., and the surplus trees tapped to 

 death after two years and cut out. 



3Ianihot Glaziovii is usually propagated from seed, 

 large quantities of which are produced by the trees at 

 an early age. Seed for planting purposes should be care- 

 fully selected from trees which give a good yield of latex 

 and are at least three or four years old. It is stated 

 that seed from younger trees does not produce such 

 vigorous plants. The seed is either planted " at 

 stake " in the positions which the trees are to occupy, 

 or it is sowTi in nurseries and the seedlings trans- 

 planted. 



The method of sowing the seed at stake, two or three 

 seeds being placed in each hole and the surplus plants 

 removed subsequentlj'^, has been adopted largely in 

 Nyasaland and German East Africa, and is said to give 

 very good results if the sowing is done at the proper time, 

 viz. at the beginning of the rains. In Nyasaland it has 

 been found that if the seeds are sown early in the rainy 

 season the plants are sufficiently grown to take care of 

 themselves when the dry season arrives, and do not 

 require watering or shade. 



If the plants are to be raised iji nurseries, beds are 

 prepared in a sheltered position, but exposed to the sun, 

 and the seeds are sown a few inches apart and about \ in. 



