171 
DXXIX.—CULTIVATION OF INDIA RUBBER IN 
ASSAM 
The Assam rubber plant (Ficus elastica, D) 1 is a large evergreen 
tree found in damp forests from the base of the Sikkim Himalaya 
semara, o. ae and Arracan. Kurz remarks that it is frequent in 
Uppe where whole forests exist in the valley of Hookhoom.. 
The. Rc of India has of ie years attempted to establish 
regular plantations of rubber trees in Assam and Madras. A memo- 
randum, by Mr. Gustav Mann, Cotiserrater of Forests, Assam, describin 
the growth of trees from seeds, was given in the Kew Bulletin, 1891, 
00-2. In the Kew Bulletin, 1892, p. 68, it was stated that the 
imports into this RE of Assam and Rangoon rubber in 1891 
amounted to 350 ton 
The Government “of India issued directions in May 1884 that for 
five years from that date the Assam plantations should be increased by 
200 acres a year. Part of this extension it was recommended should - 
be situated on higher ground than hitherto planted. At the same time, 
it was added, endeavours should be made to induce private persons to 
rubber obtained showed a .singular eise year bv year. It varied 
so greatly that while the yield in one year was as much as 26 pounds 
r tree, it would fall in another year to a little over two pounds. The 
value in money depended, of course, on the market, but at an average 
pee of 1s. 6d. per pound the extreme yield per tree varied from 39s, 
Th fluctuations in the yield of one and the same tree in different 
years are, therefore, very considerable, and they remain up to the 
present inexplicable, * since the officers under whose personal super- 
vision these experiments were made have not been able to find out any 
reasons for, or causes of, these very material fluctuations.’ 
There is another point of practical importance. It is well known 
that Ficus elastica will grow with undiminished rapidity and luxuriance 
in situations remote fr oe, the se but in such x it ow to yield 
caoutchouc, Hence, .M oncludes that no greater mistake 
could be made than to ae plantations of this d in the Er of 
Bengal. This is true also of many parts of the world where the tree 
nom bere proved valuable for the production of rubber except in the 
ountainous parts of Assam 
| o doubt as to the financial results of the cultivation of 
Ficus eva, even in Assam, the work undertaken by the Govern- 
ment of India has latterly been suspended, In fact, no extensions have 
