37 



the thin strips of rubber beingf thereby dried in one to 

 two weeks. 



On Culloden Estate, Mr. Macadam finds the Passburg- 

 vacuum drier very effective; the vacuum drier now in 

 tise can turn out double the quantity exported from the 

 estate last year. 



Yield ol Rubber. 



It is hardly necessary to state that the rubber-producing 

 value of an estate cannot be determined and is not in- 

 dicated by a statement of the yield of rubber obtained 

 during- any particular year. The yield obtained varies 

 greatly according to the system of tapping adopted and 

 the amount of bark which has been cut away. Several 

 properties are known in Ceylon where the yield has only 

 been from one to one-and-a-half pounds of rubber from 

 tiees over ten years old: but if the same trees had been 

 tapped on a system similar to that adopted on other 

 estates it would have been possible to increase the yield 

 threefold. The principles adopted in tapping should there- 

 fore be taken into consideration when one is forming an 

 idea of the rubber producing power of a particular tree 

 or plantation. 



Annual Incrzase in Output. 



The yields obtained from some estates during the 

 past few years, though small, show a gradual increase 

 as the tapped trees get older and more young ones attain 

 a tappable size and age. The gradual increase is exempli- 

 fied in the yields obtained on Gikiyanakande, Neboda, 

 Ceylon, according to the information kindly supplied by 

 Mr. Golledge, at my request. 



Gikiyanakaade. 



Yield per tree from 

 Year. young and old trees. 



1903 0.591b. 



1904 0.761b. 



1905 1.321b. 



1906 1.781b. 



1907 1. 861b. 



1908 (ist January to 4th April), 8,175 lb. 



from 11,694 trees. 



