44^ 



the season's tapping operations, see paragraph 2 : 



Sent to Reporter on Economic Products, Calcutta ... 10 lbs 



Sent to Agricultural Chemist, Dehra Dun ... ... 2 



Sent to Curator, Government Garden, Nilgiris ... \ „ 

 Sent to Ranger, Venkatramana, Forest Department, 



Madras ... ... ... ... ... 1 



Sold locally for Rs. 51-8-0 ... ... ... 35^ „ 



Kept as sample in stock ... ... ... 2 „ 



5 



14. Full details of all figures discussed above will be found in 



Statement A attached to this report, 



Tapping; charges and broker's 1 • ,1 ■ • , , 



report on quality of rubber. and in thls connection it only seems 



necessary to draw attention to two more 

 points, viz., the reduced expenditure effected on tapping operations 

 and the favourable report of the London broker on the quality of 

 the rubber forwarded for sale. In regard to the first point, it 

 should be noted that, in the previous season, an item of Rs. 1,198 

 was incurred on the purchase of coal tar for smearing over the 

 wounds caused by the kukris and dkaos, partly as a healing ap- 

 plication, but chiefly as a preventive or check on illicit tapping that 

 might subsequently be made on the trees that had been worked 

 over departmentally. This last season no expenditure has been 

 incurred under this head, as it seems doubtful that the application 

 of tar is of any utility, and the danger of illicit tapping is not con- 

 sidered sufficiently great to justify the considerable expenditure 

 above mentioned. By eliminating this part of the original procedure, 

 and by reducing the actual expense of tapping, the cost on the 

 material landed in Calcutta was reduced from Rs. 94 to Rs. 70 per 

 maund of 80 lbs. the actual figures being as follows : 



Rs. 



Cost of 3,363 lbs. of rubber obtained in 1898-99 ... 3,967 

 Cost of 4,502 lbs. of rubber obtained in 1 899-1900 ... 3,839 



With regard to the second point mentioned above, Messrs 

 McLEOD & Co., of Calcutta, through whose firm the rubber was 

 despatched to London and sold, write as follows : 



People who have examined our parcel inform us that it is the 

 finest stuff ever seen here from Assam. Last year's shipment could 

 scarcely be improved upon in matter of cleanness and condition, 

 but this parcel is more presentable, the packing being better done. 



Doubtless, the better packing in acme tea boxes lined with cloth, 

 instead of despatching the product in bags, as was clone in the pre- 

 vious season, had much to do with the better price paid, $s. yd. 

 per lb. having been realised as against 35-. \\d. in 1899. 



15. In the attached .Statement B is given a detail of the girth 



„ . . . and crown or spread measurements of 10 



Supplementary experiments. 1 f 



per cent, ot the trees that were tapped 



last season. The results are interesting so far as they go, and tend 



to prove, as might be expected, that the outturn of rubber is in pro- 



