39^ 
cayenne  pepper,  which  look,  on  examination  under  a magnifying 
lens,  like  crystallized  straw-berries.  The  structure  of  these  red 
fruits  is  the  means  of  identifying  the  fungus  as  a nectria.  The 
canker  spreads  through  the  agency  of  the  wind  in  dry  weather,  by 
water,  and  by  insects  such  as  red  ants  which  carry  the  spores  on 
their  legs  and  bodies  in  their  travels  over  the  trees.  The  only 
conditions  necessary  for  spores  to  grow  are  damp  and  moisture, 
both  of  which  Kalutara  always  has.  As  regards  the  general  health 
of  rubber  in  the  district  it  is  good,  very  good,  notwithstanding  the 
dropping  of  leaves,  drying  back  of  young  branches  and  irregular 
deciduity  in  certain  rubber  trees.  The  preventive  methods  I would 
recommend  are  inspection  by  gangs  of  coolies,  cutting  out  the  can- 
ker and  the  entire  excision  of  affected  portions  and  the  burning  of 
all  bark  cut  off  and  dead  branches.  The  burning  of  dead  branches 
is  a most  important  matter.  Personally  speaking  I believe — though 
I am  perhap*s  rather  rash  to  speak  on  this  matter  to  planters  who 
have  practical  experience  of  these  things — the  best  way  to  tackle  a 
disease  like  this  is  not  only  to  look  out  for  this  nectria  canker 
disease,  but  to  observe  any  and  all  diseases  that  may  arise.  With 
regard  to  the  cultivation  of  rubber— as  also  in  the  case  of  other 
products — a regular  inspection  should  be  made  during  a consider- 
able time  of  the  year,  so  that  the  moment  anything  unusual  is 
noticed  in  the  way  of  disease  it  can  be  treated  by  simple  means  at 
the  initial  stage.  As  regards  the  time  of  the  year  for  observing  the 
disease  I think  dry  weather  is  the  best.  You  can  see  it  better  and 
also  observe  the  effect  of  the  same.  The  disease  is  better  seen  in 
dry  weather;  it  is  much  more  easy  to  spot  then  than  in  wet  weather. 
If  you  cut  out  a portion  of  your  tree  when  the  weather  is  damp  and 
moist  and  leave  a small  portion  of  the  disease  in  the  area  cut  out  the 
fungus  will  struggle  on  and  regain  a foothold,  but  if  you  did  that 
in  dry  weather  it  would  completely  drive  out  the  fungus.  So  that 
there  are  tw’o  reasons  to  show  that  dry  weather  is  the  best  for 
observing  and  for  dealing  with  the  disease.  With  regard  to  the 
applying  of  mixtures  on  diseased  parts,  there  is  no  doubt  that 
theoretically  and  practically  it  is  sound,  but  I have  reasons  for  not 
recommending  this.  In  my  experience  the  farmers  in  England 
and  planters  out  here  very  often,  if  any  wash  is  recommended, 
show  a tendency  not  to  carefully  cut  out  any  portion  of  the  diseased 
bark,  but  to  simply  smear  the  bark  with  the  mixture  in  a general 
sort  of  way,  and  the  natural  result  is  that  the  fungus  goes  on  in  its 
fell  work  under  the  wash,  so  that  the  treatment  is  of  no  avail.  II 
you  cut  out  the  diseased  portion  of  the  bark  and  smear  the  wound 
with  blue  stone,  the  result  would  be  advantageous,  that  is,  if  there 
is  no  slovenly  work  done  with  regard  to  rubber  disease — as  in  the 
case  of  cocoa  cultivation — the  Tamil  cooly  can  be  shown  in  a very 
short  space  of  time  how  to  spot  the  diseased  trees.  When  it  comes 
to  cutting  off  portions  of  the  bark  in  the  trunk  or  branches  there 
should  be  no  hesitation.  The  whole  of  the  affected  portion  is  full 
of  the  mycelium  of  the  fungus  and  will  not  produce  latex,  so  that 
vou  are  not  damaging  your  tree  to  any  extent  by  cutting  oft  such 
portion  as  is  affected.  After  o[)eration  on  the  affected  portion  the 
