31 



necessary as years roll on if parasites are to be kept 

 in check. The time when action will be necessary is 

 not as distant as many planters, who see the same rubber 

 trees and nothing else every day of their lives, appear 

 to imagine. It would teach them a little to see the same 

 trees only after an interval of two years or so, during 

 which time the trees had been continuously and system- 

 atically (?) tapped. My experiences lead me to believe 

 that no government can too lavishly equip its 

 agricultural department with officers competent to 

 deal with diseases, willing to visit affected estates, and 

 able to advise on any phenomenon indicative of the growth 

 of obnoxious or dangerous pests. 



It is fortunate that the destiny of the rubber-planting 

 industry is largely in the hands of Europeans gifted with 

 energy and persistent application. We can look to them 

 to give prompt attention to any symptoms of diseases on 

 their rubber trees. 



Native Compounds and Isolation. 



When travelling by motor through the Kalutara dis- 

 trict an excellent opportunity was afforded of the distri- 

 bution of the important rubber estates and their isolation 

 or otherwise by means of native holdings. In travelling 

 along the road between Clyde, Eagle's Land, Culloden, 

 Vogan, Gikiyanakande, Devituri, St. George's and" other 

 estates, one sees a large number of compounds owned by 

 natives, small patches of coconuts and other products, 

 together with strips of jungle and chena. These areas, 

 when they do not possess Para rubber trees, might con- 

 ceivably be effective in checking the spread of diseases, 

 and should, if possible, be retained as such. They should 

 be quite as useful as many of the narrow strips of jungle 

 retained as forest belts on some of the newly-developed 

 properties in other parts of the East. 



Each estate in Kalutara develops very much on lines 

 of its own. A few hastily-made notes may be worth re- 

 producing here, since they indicate the methods adopted 

 on good properties. 



Culloden: Field and Factory Work. 



This important part of the Rosehaugh Company's pro- 

 perties possesses some very old trees, many of which 



