ON THE PLANT AFFORDING CEARA INDIA-RUBBER. 325 



circumference at a yard from the base, and a smooth, silvery 

 birch-like bark readily peeling off; being about half the size of 

 those which Mr. Cross describes, and which may be assumed to 

 have been fully grown. 



u 3.— System of collecting the Rubber. — I quote again from Mr. 

 Cross's report : — k This is an operation of a very simple description. 

 On commencing to work, the collector takes with him a stout knife 

 and a handful of twigs to serve as a broom. Arriving at a tree, 

 any loose stones or dust are swept from the ground, around the 

 base, and some large leaves are laid down to receive the droppings 

 of milk which trickle down. Some do not go to the trouble of 

 sweeping the ground or laying down leaves, for which reason the 

 milk adheres to sand, dust, decayed leaves, and other impurities. 

 The outer surface of the bark of the trunk is pared or sliced off to 

 a height of four or five feet. The milk then exudes and runs down 

 in many tortuous courses, some of it ultimately falling on the 

 ground. After several days the juice becomes dry and solid, and 

 is then pulled off in strings and rolled up in balls or put into bags 

 in loose masses. Only a thin paring should be taken off, just deep 

 enough to reach the milk vessels; but this is not always attended to. 

 Nearly every tree has been cut through the bark, and a slice taken off 

 the wood. Decay then proceeds rapidly, and many of the trunks are 

 hollow. In this condition the trees must yield far less milk, and many 

 no doubt are broken over by the wind, or wither away. Collecting 

 is carried on during the dry season only, when rain seldom falls/ 



" Mr. Cross says nothing as to the age of the trees so operated 

 upon; probably the collectors treat all indiscriminately. In the 

 sequel of his report, however, he incidentally remarks that Ceara 

 rubber may be tapped on attaining ' a diameter of four to five 

 inches,' which is the case here in Ceylon after about two years* 

 growth. Bat unless there were a very large number of trees in an 

 extensive plantation, this would certainly be labour thrown away. 

 The tree, however, comes so early to maturity, as shown by the 

 production of seed-, that it is improbable that it attains any very 

 gr it size. The process above d ;cribed must be, if thoroughly 

 done, almost exhaustive of the milk ; but in the case of a small 

 stem it would be a work of some care and time to so conduct it as 

 to avoid cutting into the wood, and probably some of the methods 

 afterwards described will be preferred. But these are practical 

 difficulties which it may be ? safely assumed the ingenuity of our 

 planters will quickly master." 



Description ok Tab. 21^-ManihotGlazloru, 1RUL ^ f^SLS^ 

 specimens in the R. Bot. Garden, I'eradeniya. Ceylon, April, 1880. 1. Extremity 

 of a young branch with inflorescence. 8. Male lis. 3. A male n. with perianth 

 removed (not fully expanded). 4. V.rticai section of female flower 5 Irans- 

 verse section of ovary. 0. A half-ripe capsule 7. One Uyripe. J A 1 W^ 

 coccus with containJd-ed. <>. *f&^W^JSffi£ ti ^ Z 



tral, and 12, Transverse section of the same. 13. Sketch of tree 2ft years old, 

 on scale of about an inch to (i ft. 



Peradeniya, Ceylon, Aug., 1880. ' 



* [Certainly when less than twelve months old.— H. T. 



