249 



TAPPING. 



Daily Versus Alternate Days. 



The process of tapping Para rubber trees can be carried out at 

 various seasons and periods of time and also by different methods ; 

 but the real result of observations and experiments must be measured 

 by averages and such analyses to be complete should be compiled 

 from the records of two or three years. Possibly no other cultivated 

 product exhibits so much diversity under normal conditions as is the 

 case in the yield of latex or rubber crop. 



There are many factors which may vary the yield of latex at any 

 particular season (to be dealt with in a subsequent chapter). The fol- 

 lowing statement shows for one year's working that the quantity of 

 latex required to produce I oz of dry rubber — including some added 

 water to retard rapid coagulation — varies from 2^ fluid ozs. in April 

 and May to S]4 ozs. in February and March. These two latter 

 months however represented the principal resting season or foliar 

 p3riodicity between 1908 and 1909. Following the end of March the 

 tapping season for 1909 began in April and continued good for the 

 remainder of the year as follows 



TABLE I. 



Effect of Tapping at different seasons during the year 1909. 



No. of 

 Experi- 

 ment. 



Total fluid 



Total dry 



rubber 

 avoirdupois. 



Comparative 

 yield of fluid ozs. 

 to ozs. of dry 

 rubber. 



Season 1909. 





ozs. c/c. 



lbs. 



ozs. 



c/c. 





7 



• 2826 



21 





SV2' 



February. — March. 



I 



3323 



75 



4 



2M 



April.— May. 



2 



7718 



128 



7 



3^ 



May, June. — July. 



3 



78^ 



115 



7 



3% 



May, June. — July. 



t] 



1st I1323 



181 



15 



SVs 



August. — Sept. 





2nd 5575 



75 



12 



4i% 



Dec. — Jan. 



6 



18748 



251 



8 



4V8 



Nov. — Dec. 



9 



3433 



43 





411 



Oct.— Nov. 



8 



3981 



48 





Sk 



Sept. 



5 



11957 



175 



8 



sh 



Sep.— Oct. 



ID 





37 







Nov. — Dec. 



This diversity is again shewn in the following record for three years 

 of the same group of 200 trees : — 



TABLE II. 





No. of 



No. of 





Fluid 



Weight 



Comparative yield 



Exoeri- 



trees 



times 



Season. 



ozs. 



of dry 



of fluid ozs. to ozs. 



mmt. 



tappsd. 



tapped. 





obtained 



rubber. 



of dry rubber. 













lbs. ozs. 





1505 



200 



25 



Oct.-Nov. 



1 1746 



199— 



3t5 





203 



25 



March-Ap. 



10943 



154- 





1^0) 



200 



32 



Aug.-Sep. 



I1323 



181— 15 



3it 



