RUBBER GROWING IN PERAK. 97 



The jviuctions in A would heal over in much less time than 

 in B, as they would not be nearly so wide. 



The best way of carrying out the herring-bone method of 

 tapping is a matter of much importance, as on it depends the 

 cost of the collection of the rubber. Common knives, chisels, 

 chopping knives, pruning knives, etc., are quite unsuited to the 

 work, so I devised an implement for scoring the bark which 

 apparently answers the purpose in a satisfactory manner. The 

 handles are made like a boat -builder's draw knife, but the 

 cutting blade is shaped like the letter U, and fixed by a suitable 

 set screw or wedge in the bar joining the handles, and at right 

 angles to them. In cutting a herring-bone incision the knife is 

 taken in both hands by the handles and a long vertical cut made 

 in the bark, but not so deep as to reach the sap layer. The 

 blade ploughs out a furrow having the same section as itself, 

 and of a depth corresponding to the inclination at which the in- 

 strument is held in relation to the surface of the bark ; the set 

 of the handles giving complete control over the direction of the 

 blade. 



The side cuts may then be made to the same depth. Hav- 

 ing gone so far, and having cleaned away all the loose cuttings 

 of outer bark, the receptical for catching the sap may be fixed at 

 the lower end of the vertical score ; and then beginning from the 

 top of the cut it may, by a second application of the tool, be 

 deepened to the proper extent. By following this procedure 

 waste of rubber may be avoided to a large extent, and a 

 cleaner product obtained. 



The same instrument can, of course, be used to enlarge the 

 scores for the subsequent tappings. The scoring knife will, I 

 think, be found to quite halve the time taken in tapping the 

 trees, and do the work in a much better fashion as well. 



The recepticals for catching the sap can conveniently be 

 made as follows : — A tin can is fitted with a sort of sharp 

 straight -edged lip at one side, and a hinged lid to keep out 

 fragments of bark, rain-water, etc., and it is best and quickest 

 hung on to the tree by a couple of attached wires furnished with 

 sharpened hook points. 



In this way there is nothing required by the Collector but 

 his scoring knife and tins. He wants neither nails, hammers, 

 wet clay, knives, chisels or other things now in use. 



Mr. J. C. Willis, Director of the Ceylon Eoyal Botanical 

 Gardens, is trying a method of tapping with small detached 



