and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. —March, 1912. 279 



PRESERVATIVE OF BARK ON TREES. 



AVANAR1US CarBOLINBUM. 



Messrs. Walker Sons & Co., Ltd. Cclombo, 

 have been appointed Sole Agents in Ueylon, 

 for Avanarius Carbolineura, which is a preser- 

 vative for bark on trees, and a safeguard against 

 decay and dry rot fungus and wood-destroying 

 insects. It is not a recent invention, for it has 

 been in use for thirty and more years, during 

 which its efficiency has been well tried. Testi- 

 monials to its effectiveness have been received 

 from Companies, Corporations and private in- 

 dividuals in all tropical Colonies. Wood if well 

 pregnated with the oil resists the influence of 

 damp air more effectively. Although its success 

 has been proved when used in the directions 

 indicated above, there is another use which has 

 even more interest to planters in Ceylon. It can 

 be applied to green wood as well as to dry, and 

 has been tried on trunks of Orange and Lemon 

 Trees with success. It is very probable similar 

 results would be obtained if it were applied to 

 any other tree, as for example, the rubber tree, 

 where damaged bark threatens the life of the 

 tree. 



Messrs. Walker Sons & Co. will be happy to 

 supply, free of charge, a sample bottle to any- 

 one writing them, and mentioning the name of 

 this journal. 



THE PITH GRASS INDUSTRY OP 

 FORMOSA. 



In Formosa pith grass is found in the prefec- 

 tures of Shinchiku, Toyen, Taihoku, Giran, 

 Taito, Karenko, Ako, and Taichu. The total 

 production annually in these districts is stated 

 to be between 225,000 and 300,000 pounds, but 

 actually it amounts to a little less than that. 

 The districts where the grass is grown are situ- 

 ated in the savage territory, hence production 

 is not only limited, but gathering the grass is a 

 hazardous occupation. Formosa pith grass is 

 divided into two kinds, high and low hill pro- 

 duett", which are again subdivided into seven 

 grades, according to quality. There are twenty 

 pith-paper manufacturers in the town of Shin- 

 chiku, and one or two in Daitotei. The former 

 town has naturally enjoyed a monopoly of the 

 trade. Moreover, because of its nearness to 

 the district of production, it has greater ad- 

 vantage in selecting materials than other 

 districts. This condition assisted the growth 

 of the trade, and gave a living to hundreds 

 of native workmen. Formerly the pith-paper 

 sent to Japan was used mostly for artificial 

 flowers, but recently it has been employed in 

 the manufacture of picture cards. In foreign 

 countries, especially in France, it is utilised in 

 fashioning hats and ladies' bonnet j. In America 

 it is used in artificial-flower making. Chinese 

 girls are adepts in flower making, and produce 

 such artistic creations that the practised eye 

 cannot detect the artificiality. Lately the pith- 

 paper market has been much disturbed by at- 

 tempts on the part of a company to control the 

 local production, and by the introduction of an 

 imitation paper. The total export of pith grass 

 from Formosa in 1910 was 30,000 pounds. 



RUBBER IN THE MIDDLE EAST. 



MR. JOHN TURNER'S VIEWS. 



" A Thoroughly Sound Industry." 



Most planters in Ceylon have their own views 

 as to rubber in the Middle East, and probably 

 have read an many others as they want to, but, 

 even in these circumstances the 0| inions of so 

 well-known a man as Mr. John Turner, Director 

 of nine of the most important companies in the 

 Middle East, are well worth having. Mr. 

 Turner was on his way home after visiting 

 Java, Sumatra, and the Malay Peninsula 

 generally, " seeiDg how things are going on," 

 not visiting as a Visiting Agent, but as a 

 Director of Companies, to see that their 

 interests are being properly looked after. The 

 Companies are : — Anglo Johore Rubber Estates, 

 Ltd.; Asahao (Sumatra) Rubber Estates, Ltd.; 

 British JNorth Borneo Rubber Trust, Ltd.; 

 Bukit Sembawang Rubber Co, Ltd.; Rim 

 (Malaca) Rubber Estates, Ltd.; Selaba Rubber 

 Eestates, Ltd.; Singapore United Rubber Plan- 

 tations, Ltd,; Taiping Rubber Plantations, Ltd.; 

 Tali Ayer Rubber Estates, Ltd. 



Asked what had impressed him most, he 

 said : — " My opinion is that the real 



QUESTION OF THE FUTURE 



is tapping. The labour question, of course, is 

 always there, but it seems to be settling itself 

 to those who take it up in an intelligent ai.d 

 businesslike manner. The manageis oi estates 

 need not think to sit down and expect labour tc 

 come to them, unless they have already secured 

 a name, and the nucleus of a labour force. Tap- 

 ping, to begin with, has been bad on almost 

 every estate, it has been too deep, and now 

 are not tapping enough, because they have been 

 frightened at the results of overtapping." 



•'It is a very dangerous thing," laughed 

 Mr. Turner, •' for anyone to go on an es- 

 tate and say that the tapping is not deep 

 enough, because the planters lost so much by 

 tapping too deeply before that they are apt to 

 be touchy if told they do not tap deeply enough 

 now." 



" How is the growth ? " 



" The growth all over is quite good," said Mr. 

 Turner. "On certain places, where the soil is 

 poor, as it is on a great many Malacca ettates, 

 when it comes to a case of bark renewal the poor 

 soil will tell very badly against them. After the 

 first few times the tree has been gone over, bark 

 renewal will be a very serious question, and the 

 rich alluvial soils of the flat country will come to 

 the front." 



" What do you think of Java ? ',' 



" I am inclined to think," was the answer, 

 "that it will not be equal to the Straits, but I 

 have not been able as yet to get sufficient data 

 to make any definite assertion." 



" Have you seen any Ceylon rubber?" 



"No, 1 haven't," Mr Turner replied, "but I 

 have been up to Peradeniya today, and I think 

 that the tapping experiments being tiied there 

 by Mr Banuber will lead to a system being ad- 

 opted which will be 



