432 



METHODS OF TAPPING* 



We are aware that methods which at the time of writing are 

 obsolete were considered the best at the time of tapping ; a much 

 favoured one being the Single Incision whose votaries claimed for 

 it a maximum yield combined with simplicity of operation and 

 other advantages. It was tried on different sized trees at different 

 periods but only one result compares favourably with other 

 methods which read as follows : — 



Mode of 

 Incision. 



Aggregate 



GIRTH AT 

 3 FT. FROM 

 GROUND. 



Number 



of TREES 

 TAPPED. 



Times 



Total dry 

 Rubber 

 ©btainkd. 



Average 

 yield . 

 per tree. 



Interval 

 of 



Tapping. 











lbs. 



ozs. 



lbs. 



ozs. 





Single 

 Incision. 



21 Of 



5 





8 



3 



1 



7 



Daily. 



Herring 

 Bone ... 



37' 2i" 



10 



18 



14 



14 



1 



8 



Alternate 

 days. 



Do. ... 



37 Hi" 



10 



18 



14 



12J 



1 



7i 



Do. 



Do. ... 



37 io" 



10 



24 



16 





1 



9 



Do. 



Do. ... 



37 mr 



10 



24 





5i 



1 



11 



Do. 



Do. ... 



47 3f" 



10 



24 



21 



12I 



2 



2 



Do. 



Do. ... 



85 7" 



i5 



28 



33 



8 



2 



10 



Daily. 





















The single incision is a quick method but the yield of dry 

 rubber 1 lb. 7 ozs. per tree was the maximum for the year (with- 

 out removing an extravagant amount of bark) while by any of the 

 other methods tried double the quantity night have been obtained 

 by another period of tapping ; again, with the single incision, the 

 trees do not recover well, and the bark is made difficult for any 

 other method of tapping, and with us the system has dropped out. 



All other methods of tapping differ from single incisions in 

 the flow of latex, in the latter the flow is fairly uniform and the 

 last tapping may be as much, if not the most, of any. In other 

 methods the flow reaches a maximum yield about the 9th tapping 

 which may be more or less maintained for 7 or 8 more tappings 

 and then diminishes. In Experiment / trials were made with a 

 modified herring-bone method with a view of ascertaining if the 

 centre channel could be disposed of, as this being a vertical in- 

 cision the wound does not heal well and shews a channelled de- 

 pression for a much longer period than do oblique ncisions. Long 



