124 
but they have m proved very suitable for this purpose, and will 
probably have to be cut down. Meantime, oe 5,000 Ibs. of 
rubber will be collected on Pallakelle this season ; a cooly, by 
beginning the tapping early in the morning, usually gets 3 Ibs. of 
rubber in the liquid or soft state, which hardens and dries down 
‘to perhaps to half that weight. There is no fortune to be made 
out of this (says our contemporary), considering how long the 
rubber trees have to grow before yielding an appreciable quantity 
e a ic 
of mil t is the time of waiting, during 80 
much capital lies idle, that is the great difficulty in the t 
way to overcome all hindrances.” 
Dr. Trimen, in his Report for 1893 (p. 13), remarks :—“ Ceara 
rubber has not taken any hold on planters here as a permanent 
cultivation : ; yet it might, I think, be worked at a profit by a 
system of annual planting, and the sacrifice of successive crops of 
trees when they reach ten or twelve years. About 1} lbs. of dry 
rubber is at that age obtained from each tree." 
The subject is not further touched upon in the Reports of the 
Ceylon Botanic ne Ge The whole interest in regard to rubber 
in that island has now been transferred to the cultivation ‘of the 
Para Rubber tree (evoa brasiliensis). 
MADRAS. 
The Director stated in the Kew Report for 1880 (p. 17) :—“ n 
the jeg I am informed, Ceara rubber is doing well 
2,400 feet 
The following i is the most recent information (Annual Report of 
the Forest Department, Madras Presidency, 1895-96, pp. 29-30) :— 
“In Ganjám an area of 3 acres in Napier’s Park is Chatrapur 
was planted with india-rubber seedlings and they are doing well, 
their height ranging from 4 to 9 feet. The sowing of r ubber 
seed in Gódávari was unsuccessful. 
“In South Arcot there were at the close of the ien 410 trees, 
including the self-sown € (295) during the yea 
“In North Malabar, the sample rubber sent to ak last year 
was reported on by the Director, Royal Garden, as follows :— 
*First sample.—Well cured, but cuts very wet; value ls. 6d. 
to ls. 8d. per lb. [This sample is in Case 96 (now Case 106), 
Museum No. 1 at Kew.] 
* Second sample —Well cured, dry, rather barky ; value ls. 9d. 
to 2s. per Ib. 
* It is proposed to tap the trees after the rains in order to obtain 
statistics as to the average yield in rubber. The trees grow 
luxuriantly and reproduce themselves very freely. 
“In South Malabar, the Ceara rubber trees are flourishing. It 
not bleed freely and no rubber was therefore collected. They 
will again be tapped in 1896-97." 
