THE CEARA RUBBER TREE 151 



Ago of trees. Kilograms of rubber lb. of rubber 



Years. per hectare. per acre. 



7 200 176 



8 200 176 



The average number of trees per hectare is now about 

 800, equal to 320 per acre. 



It Ls anticipated that the Ceara trees in the East Africa 

 Protectorate will furnish similar yields to those obtained 

 in German East Africa. 



Nyasaland. — Except in certain favom-able districts 

 Ceara trees can only be tapped in Nyasaland dm-mg about 

 six months of the year. In the greater part of the Pro- 

 tectorate there is practically no rain for six months, and 

 tappmg is only possible during dry periods in the wet 

 season and at the beginning of the dry season. If the 

 tappmg is continued too far into the dry season it has 

 been found that the incisions do not heal and that the 

 trees suffer in consequence. From the results of tappings 

 carried out on a number of estates it is thought that 

 about 3 oz. of dry rubber in six months may be con- 

 sidered as a good average yield from foiu'-year-old Ceara 

 trees in Nyasaland. 



On an estate near Blantyre 443 fom'-year-old trees, 

 planted 15 ft. by 9 ft. and 12 ft. by 9 ft., were tapped 

 twice within a month. 1 70 of the trees were less than 12 in. 

 in girth at 3 ft. from the ground, and these yielded42 oz. of 

 dry rubber, or approximately J oz. each. The remaining 

 273 trees, which varied from 12 to 19 in. m gnth, 

 yielded 356 oz. of cby rubber, or approximately 1^ oz. per 

 tree from the two tappings within a montli. The cost of 

 collection is stated to have been 4r/. per lb. of dry rubber. 



On another estate at ]\Ilanje a number of two-and-a- 

 half -year-old trees, planted 9 ft. by 9 ft., were tapped on 

 alternate days and during a period of several weeks the 

 average yield of rubber per tree at each tapping was 

 0-09 oz. If this yield is continued it is probable that 

 5 or 6 oz. of dry rubber may be obtained per tree in six 

 months' tapping. 



On the Chitalilia estate eighteen Ceara trees were 

 tapped by the herringbone system, and the incisions 

 were reopened every alternate day by parmg. The 

 trees were tapped for a month, then allowed to rest for 

 about a month, and so on. During five tapping periods, 



