152 THE CEARA RUBBER TREE 



extending over ten months, the following yields of wet 

 rubber were obtained : 



Yield of 

 wet rubber, 

 oz. 

 561 



1st tapping period, 12 tappings (Nov.-Dec.) 

 2nd „ „ 13 „ (Jan.-Feb.) 



3rd „ „ 14 „ (Apr.-May) 



4th „ „ 10 „ (June-July) 



5th „ „ j_3 „ (Aug.-Sept.) 



62 tappings 



40-1 

 83| 

 551 

 441 



2801 



It was stated that the wet rubber lost approximately 

 half its weight on drying, so that the total yield of dry 

 rubber was about 140 oz. or nearly 8 oz. per tree in the 

 ten months. 



It has been proved that in Nyasaland, Ceara trees can 

 be tapped when from two to three years old without 

 injurious effects, and the rubber obtained from such 

 trees is of good quality and reahses a satisfactory price 

 in the market. 



Uganda. — A number of tapping experiments on Ceara 

 trees growing in the Botanic Gardens at Entebbe and on 

 an adjacent plantation were recently conducted by Fyffe 

 and have given very interesting results. The trees were 

 tapped by the half-herringbone system, and the incisions 

 were reopened every alternate day by paring and pricking, 

 as in the case of Para trees. Much better yields of rubber 

 were obtained by this method than by the Lewa process, 

 and it was stated that trees which had been tapped more 

 or less regularly by this system for thirteen months 

 showed no Ul effects except in a few cases where the 

 cuts had been made too deeply, owing to the inexperience 

 of the tappers. None of the trees was kUled by the 

 treatment. 



The following account gives a summary of the ex- 

 periments : 



(1) In the first experiment three eight -year-old trees 

 having an average girth of 2 ft. 6 in. were tapped by the 

 herringbone system, the diy outer bark having been 

 first removed. The trees were retapped every evening 

 between 5.30 and 6,30 p.m. by parmg off a thin shaving 



