138 



2 francs a pound. Several hundred thousand young Landolphias 

 were planted. The only practical way being found to be to sow the 

 seed at the foot of the tree up which it was destined to climb. Cut- 

 tings and sowings in nurseries for transplanting did not give good 

 results. A small number of ffeveas, and about 3,000 Castilloas 

 were planted. Ceara seems however to do best in most places. 

 From Ceara trees six years old an average yield of about ^ lb. 

 rubber was obtained. Five rubber schools were started and the 

 rubber collected by them is used to defray the school expenses. 

 Two men were sent by Sir Walter EGERTON, from Nigeria to 

 learn the methods of cultivating and preparing rubber. 



New Caledonia does not appear to be a very suitable place for 

 rubber. A certain quantity chiefly from the Royalty Islands was 

 obtained from " wild banian trees. " There was a feeble attempt to 

 introduce the planting of the better sorts but it came to nothing and 

 Mr. Consul Brophy, doubts there is enough moisture to make it 

 pay. The price he says has been good; 3^. to 45-. a pound according 

 to quality. 



THE OLD RUBBER TREE AT PENANG. 



This tree was tapped again in 1905 and produced 4 lbs. \2\ oz. 

 fairly dry rubber. This makes the 10th consecutive year of tapping 

 and raises the total production to 31 lbs. 9 oz. The tree which is 

 planted on very poor ground was figured and described in Bulletin 

 1902, p. 384, Plate V. It was planted in 1886 so that it was 19 

 years old last year. Its yield is apparently steadily increasing yet, 

 as this is the greatest account it has produced in one year. In 1905 

 it was tapped in December. In Mr. CURTIS, account of its yield 

 (1. c. 385) it will be noticed that it gave less in April and May 1 899 

 than it did in November-December, 1898, and that in August-Sep- 

 tember, 1901, less than in October-November, 1900. This rather 

 confirms the theory that the best returns are always at the end of 

 the year. The average therefore of the yield of this tree for 10 

 years has been a little over 3 lbs. per annum. It is tapped with the 

 simple herring-bone cuts only, and in 1905 was only cut 14 times. 

 This might have been carried on considerably longer, as the last 

 tapping gave 8 oz. rubber, and the yield would have been yet higher. 



H. N. R. 



LARGE CEARA TREE IN INDIA. 



A planter writes to the " Indian Planting and Gardening, April 

 28th, 1906." Your planting reader may be interested to learn that 

 a Ceara tree planted about 25 years ago on a coffee estate (about 

 4,000 feet above sea level) on the Shwaroy Hills measured 78 inches 



