CEYLON 311 
cultivation ; and some of the dangers that threaten 
the continuance of the others may perhaps be found, 
first, in the attacks of insects and fungi that in the 
tropics almost invariably follow on the adoption of 
a system of pure plantation; and, second, in the 
erosion of the fertile soil that may be hastened by 
the destruction of a protective forest belt, and by 
the method employed in planting commercial pro- 
ducts in vertical rows on the hillside—a system 
whereby the off-flow of torrential rains is able to 
produce the greatest damage. 
As these remarks are being written, rubber is 
booming in the City, and the Forest Officer is 
frequently asked for his advice in the matter of 
investment. He can give none unless he is per- 
sonally acquainted with the local conditions of the 
plantation, for there are many circumstances which 
insure success or foretell failure. The suitability of 
the climate, rainfall, and soil, for the selected species, 
the configuration of the ground and the conveniences 
of carriage, the supply and price of labour, and the 
efficiency and energy of the management, are all 
important factors. The investor must in the majority 
of cases trust to information at second-hand, and 
he will do well to ascertain that this is reliable and 
disinterested. If he has satisfied himself on these 
points, there are yet other influences to be taken 
into account ; for instance, will the increase in pro- 
duction of rubber plantation keep pace with or 
exceed the increased demand for the raw material ? 
and will present inflated prices for rubber, which, it 
is claimed, can be produced at a shilling per pound or 
a little over, be permitted to continue? Finally there 
