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method  of  renewing  the  incisions  w;is  only  tried  on  a single  day 
and  it  is  1 think,  quite  possible  that  the  difference  in  yield  in  favour 
of  the  method  of  making  fresh  incisions  each  day,  was  c'ue  to 
some  extent  to  climatical  conditions.  Personally,  I have  found 
that  the  yield  is  generally  much  above  the  average  on  dull  or 
cloudy  days,  or  if  there  has  been  rain  the  previous  evening  or 
during  the  night  preceding  the  tapping.  Even  had  the  results 
been  slightly  in  favour  of  making  new  incisions  each  day,  I think, 
.1  should  still  advocate  tlie  renewal  of  the  old  incisions,  for  with  a 
limited  tapping  area  it  is  totheowners  interest  to  interfere  with  this 
as  little  as  possible  or  in  other  words  to  economise  the  available 
tapping  surface. 
This  questioivof  the  renewal  of  incisions  is  an  important  one  and 
one  which  I commend  to  the  earnest  attention  ot  Planters,  and  it 
is  to  be  hoped  that  they  will  be  induced  to  try  both  methods  over 
a considerable  area  for  a deliiiite  |)eriod  and  to  record  the  results. 
1 he  behaviour  of  different  trees  in  responding  to  the  wound-effect 
is  verv  remarkaijle  but  as  it  is  impracticable  on  a laige  estate  to 
study  the  idiosyncrasies  of  each  individual  tree,  a general  rule 
must  be  followed  applicable  to  the  majority,  and  it  is  only  by 
making  experiments  on  an  extensivt!  scale  that  the  best  method 
can  be  determined. 
RUBBER  PLANTING  IN  ASSAM. 
Cc^nsiderable  interest  is  at  present  being  shown  in  the  planting 
of  rubber  on  Estates  in  Assam,  though  it  appears  as  if  planters  had 
not  fully  realised  the  enormous  profitableness  of  the  undertaking, 
'ho  say  that  the  venture  is  very  much  more  paying  than  tea-growing 
or  coffee-growing  would  perhaps  be  saying  too  much  at  once,  but 
that  it  compares  more  than  favourably  with  either  of  these  two 
occupations  cannot  be  doubted  for  a moment.  For  example  in  one 
particular  only  it  will  be  realised  how  favourably  is  the  comparison 
and  that  is  that  the  rubber  industry  can  never  suffer  from  over- 
production when  one  comes  to  consider  the  enormous  and  still  daily 
growing  demand  for  this  material,  d'o  every  manufacture  of  the 
present  day  rubber  in  one  form  or  another  seems  to  be  necessary. 
'File  commonest  West  African  rubber  fetches  ^^20o  per  ton  at  home 
while  the  Para  rubber  of  South  America  reaches  the  ruling  price  of 
/.‘400  a ton.  About  two  years  ago  the  Government  of  India,  ob- 
viously forsceing  the  advantages  accruing  from  the  plantation  and 
j:»roduction  of  rubber,  slarted  the  cultivation  of  Para  rubber  in  the 
Southern  extremity  of  Lower  Burma  known  as  Mergui  and  also  on 
the  adjacent  King  Isiand.  /\  year  prior  to  tlu‘  action, of  Govern- 
ment, ho^^■ever,  })rivate  enterprise  had  also  launched  into  the  trade. 
In  i8q9  a Yorkshireman  (Mr.  W.  S.  d'oUD)  living  at  Amherst,  near 
Moulmein,  started  a plantation  of  F^ara  rubber  and  has  now  fifty 
acres  fully  planted  with  14,009  trees  which  e\a  n at  this  early  stage 
have  developed  splendidly  anci  give  great  promise  of  bringing  Mr. 
Todd  in  another  five  years  a very  ample  return.  .So  that  it  is 
estimated  when  all  the  plants  in  Ihirina  being  lo  yield  Fairope  will 
