84 



where the dead woods ends, the other side* is quite healthy and 

 latex Hows on being cut, oik- of tin: branches above on that side is 

 putting out leaves but tlx others still show no signs of life. I could 

 not reach up to try them with a knife. 



The second tree is sprouting about 5 or 6 ft. from the ground 

 where it branched before, there is a good tuft of foliage but the old 

 branches seem dead, 1 could not reach them to try them with a 

 knife or break one of them off, the bark appears to be t racked and 

 dead on them. 



The third tree is sprouting about 3 ft. from the ground on the 

 trunk, above that the stem is quite dead, I cut into it all round and 

 found no sign of vitality. 



The trees are of no value to the owner of the plantation, being 

 the only three on it, and have not had any attention paid to them 

 since they were first burnt or scorched, they are sprouting again 

 simply from their own vitality. 



R. SCOTT. 



Mr. SCOTT'S note on the recovery of Para rubber trees gives 

 another illustration of the vitality of the plant. It will be interest- 

 ing to .set- it the trees completely recover and develop into strong 

 plants again. The danger to a tree burnt on one side badly is 

 trom the attacks ol fungi on tin* dead portion which may be too 

 extensive for the young bark to cover, rot once getting in to the 

 heart of the tree is sooner or later fatal, though the tree continues 

 to give latex abundantly from the uninjured portion, or as it ap- 

 pears even more abundantly than in the case of a thoroughly sound 

 tree. A good deal depends on the age or rather size of the tree 

 damaged, younger trees would stand fire probably better than old 

 ones, and would repair better. 1 have seen an old stump about 7 

 feet tall, and about a loot through which constantly puts fresh 

 shoots, but these come to nothing, the decay of the interior of the 

 trunk goes on downwards slowly, and the young shoots make 110 

 growth. The injury is too extensive to be covered with fresh bark. 

 Several trees of considerable size were accidentally scorched at the 

 base by a lire. One died soon from the attacks of fungi, perhaps 

 helped on by boring beetles. The fungi spread to the roots and 

 attacked the trees on either side two or three of which died in 

 about a year or two. — Editor* 



CASTILLOA RETURNS. 



In the Bulletin of the Para Museum, Dr. JACQUES HUBER (Vol. 

 Ill Feb. P. 84) gives an account of the yield of some trees of (au- 

 dio (Castilloa elastica). 



He says a grown up tree yields as a rule one vessel full of latex 

 which contains 14 gallons. This quantity corresponds with 20 

 kilogrames of Caucho in slabs and as one slab weighs ge nerally 

 about bo kilos or one man's load it takes 3 trees to make a slab. 



