39 



tree grown on poor soil ■Was 4-i6ths to 5-i6ths of an inch 

 in thickness. 



The following measurements were also made on an 

 estate in the South of Ceylon : — 



Nature of Baik. 



Second Renewed Bark. 

 Second Renewed Bark. 

 First Renewed Bark. 



Age of 

 Renewed Bark. 



2 months 

 36 „ 



Thickness of 

 Renewed Bark 



I inch 



i » 



S I) 



Height from 



ground of 



point ot 



measurement. 



Base 

 5i 'eet 

 5 feet 



These measurements were made on a tree 14 years old, 

 with a girth of 71 inches a yard from the ground. The 

 remnants of primary bark above the tapping area had 

 an average thickness of about 5-8ths in., so that the re- 

 newed bark, three years old, appeared to be equal to it. 

 The tree gave 15 lb. of dry rubber during the last four 

 years. 



Another tree, 4J years old, had its renewed bark 

 3-i6ths in. in thickness, though only two months old; 

 this was nearly equal to the thickness of the primary 

 bark above the tapping area. 



The bark grows in thickness rapidly enough, but the 

 latex therein does not acquire the degree of concentration 

 desired for a much longer period. 



Pricking and Paring in Ceylon. 



I was agreeably surprised to observe the frequency 

 with which trees were pricked on the occasion of my visit 

 to several Kalutara estates. On two plantations, where a 

 year ago only the paring operation was adopted, the 

 pricking implement was used as soon as the flow follow- 

 ing the paring operation had ceased. On another estate 

 latex was never deliberately obtained by paring. Every 

 evening the coolies went round to collect the scrap co- 

 agulated in the tapping lines and gently used the paring 

 knife to remove only the outer dead bark and expose a 

 new area below for the pricker. On the following morn- 



