391 



RUBBER TREES AND GREEN MANURING. 



Mr. R. D. Anstead, B.Sc, late Agricultural Superintendent in 

 Grenada, under the Imperial Department of Agriculture, gives an 

 account of an experiment, having connexion with the same subject 

 which was carried out by him recently in South Travancore. In this, 

 two samples of soil were taken, one from under a very poor covering 

 of Pass/flora sp., and one from a patch which had been kept clean 

 weeded, and which was exposed to the sun. Equal weights of the 

 samples were dried in an oven for five or six hours, and the weights 

 taken again, when it was found that, although the Passiflora was of 

 poor growth and gave a minimum of shade, the soil beneath it con- 

 tained II per cent, more moisture than that of the area which had 

 been kept clear of weeds. 



Mr. Anstead points out that this experiment is a strong argument 

 in favour of keeping the ground covered with a growing cover crop, 

 even during the dry season, at any rate in some kinds of cultivation, 

 and suggests that leguminous weeds, such as Cassia mbnosoides, may 

 well be used in the place of plants like Passiflora. He also draws 

 attention to the usefulness of plants grown in this way, in the pre- 

 vention of the loss of surface soil by washing during heavy rains. — 

 The Agricultural News, Vol. IX, p. 185. 



CORRESPONDENCE. 



CHRONOLOGY OP RUBBER, 



20, Eastcheap, 

 London, E.C. T8th July, 1910. 



Dear Mr. Ridley, 



I have just been reading your interesting Historical Notes on 

 Rubber in the Agricultural Bulletin. I have referred to my papers on 

 the subject and the following I find are dates of interesting events you 

 have omitted on your chronological table : 



1883. First fruiting of trees at Heneratgoda, 260 seedling plants 



raised at Heneratgoda 



1884. 1,000 Do. Do. 



1884. First fruiting of Ceylon trees at Peradenia. 



1888. 11,500 seeds sent to Straits from Heneratgoda. 



1894. Dr. Trimen reports : " I do not think it desirable or indeed 

 of any use, to commence bleeding the trees before they 

 are at least 10 years old." 



