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assuredly impressed with the fact that there is a marked difference 

 between the climate in Sicily and that in the true rubber zone. He 

 will thenceforth pay more attention to questions of rainfall, tempera- 

 ture and humidity — factors he previously ignored in his otherwise 

 satisfactory prospectuses. I have very distinct recollections of one 

 illuminating prospectus in which the profitable cultivation of Hevea 

 brasiliensis was fore-casted in an area over 25 degrees from the 

 equator, where the rainfall was about 30 inches and the air "keen, 

 dry, with occasional frosts. " Even to-day there is deplorable laxity 

 displayed in many documents appertaining to the cultivation of rubber- 

 yielding species in African and American territories; many rubber 

 investors do not appear to know that for each species there is a limited 

 range of climatic factors under which each plant can be grown. Even 

 in the small but productive island of Ceylon there are very many 

 districts where it would be impossible to profitably cultivate any of 

 the rubber plants now known to the scientific and commercial worlds : 

 yet Para, Ceara, Castilloa, Eambong, Funtumia, Hancornia, and other 

 rubber trees are known, and vines of Landolphia, Clitandra, Forstero- 

 nia, Cryptostegia, Urceola, Parameria and others capable of yielding, 

 in their own and similar districts, paying quantities of rubber, abound 

 in the tropics. The Para rubber plant, known for its hardy character- 

 istics and power of adaptation, can only be grown over a small area in 

 Ceylon. There are already indications that many parties in other 

 countries, have over-estimated the possibility with Hevea brasiliensis, 

 some few having been bold enough to advise that their planted properties 

 shall be partly abandoned, even though the estates are in the middle of 

 the rubber zone and are occupied with Para trees several years old. It 

 is hoped that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated ; they would 

 be impossible if investors would exercise due caution before supplying 

 capital for propositions similar to those referred to. 



(FL-om my eastern tour by Herbert Wright, India Eubber Journal, 

 May 4th 1908). 



{India Buhber Journal, May 1908.) 



RUBBER PLANTS FROM CUTTINGS. 



The following interesting letter from a planter in Tavoy, Burmah, 

 appears in a recent issue of the " Ceylon Observer": — 



DEAR Sir, — The following may prove interesting : — (i) After my 

 planting in June I went over the remaining 10,000 or so plants (Para 

 rubber) in the nurseries and pruned all the " double headers " there 

 were, leaving one stem to each root stock. Most of these were cut off 

 just below the ground level. A number of plants, too, with twisted 

 roots were cut down below the twist, hoping they would send up a shoot 

 from the root left, which, I may say, they have done. I obtained 509 

 cuttings, about 250 of which had small fibrous roots, but none had 

 very much root development. These were all put down in a nursery 

 near the bungalow and carefully looked after. This occurred in August 

 last. Now in March I find I have 393 established plants all looking well, 

 (ii) Also in August last a family of porcupines raided me, and in three 



