447 



portion to the spread of the trees, 

 following results ; 



Abstracted, 



the figures give the 



..33! tolas = -83 of a lb, 

 •332 rt -= '83 „ 

 ..41 11 = roo „ 

 ••39 -» - "97 

 •292 1, =7 '73 



The girth measurements of the trees are so difficult of being made 

 in a uniform manner, owing to air roots which form supplementary 

 stems having a tendency to anastomose, that the figures under this 

 head may be ignored; but if the figures relating to the average 

 spread of trees in the different compartments are compared, and it 

 is borne in mind that the trees in compartment 4 were tapped for 

 the second year in succession, it seem that, as above stated, the 

 largest outturn is obtained from the trees having the best and 

 widest crowns. 



16. Another interesting statement is that attached to this report 

 as Appendix C, which shows the result of 



Result or tapuino- trees 1 • * j 1 j. j i ■ l 



years in succession. tapping 2 1 good selected trees in compart- 



ments 2 and 3 for three years in succes- 

 sion, 1896-97, 1897-98. and 1898-99. This experiment should have 

 been commented on in last year's report, but seems to have escaped 

 observation. Abstracted, the results were as follows : 



Yield, in lbs. 



Number of 



f — ^ 



trees. 1896-97. 1897-98. . 1898-99. 



21 ... 46 48 9 



and they seem to prove that, although the first two years' opera- 

 tions will yield nearly equal outturns — agreeing in this with the 

 figures quoted in paragraph 3 for compartments as a whole, — there, 

 then, in the third year, comes a terrible falling off of 75 per cent. 

 And as the trees in question, for the most part, are specially good 

 specimens, and, in fact, are the dominant trees in compartments 

 2 and 3, the experiment should warn us to be very careful in work- 

 ing over the plantation too frequently, in successive years, without 

 giving the trees sufficient time for recuperating from their former 



