and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society.— July, 1910. 83 



Government were doing what they could to de- 

 velop India along industrial and agricultural 

 lines, but Government could not do everything 

 and the members of the newly-formed In- 

 dustrial Missionary Association was urged to 

 assist the people of this country in every way 

 possible to progress along the lines of im- 

 proved scientific farming. 



The lecturer offered to give certain prizes 

 through the Industrial Ccnfe-enee for the best 

 fields and gardens in schools, and also offered 

 to share in the expense of any experiments 

 mutually agreed uoon along agricultural lines. 



At the conclusion of the lecture, there was 

 prolonged applause and the President of the 

 Association thanked Sir Frederick for his kind- 

 ness in giving all the pleasure and benefit of 

 such an enlightening and helpful lecture. 



The meeting was then dissolved. — M. Mail. 



NOTES ON CEARA RUBBER AND 

 MANICOBA. 



{To the Editor, "Financial Times.'') 

 Sir, — It does not seem to be commonly known 

 that there is a great diversity of opinion as to 

 Ceara rubber— and more especially that known as 

 Manihot Glaziovii — some saying that the trees 

 only yield latex for three years, while others 

 say that the life of the trees is only t9ii years. 



From practical experience with Manihot 

 Glaziovii trees in German East Africa, where 

 it is known that the plantations are the largest 

 and best in East Africa (this being proved by 

 the great number of planters from British East 

 Africa visiting German East Africa to see and 

 learn how the trees are planted and treated), I 

 am able to state that in East Africa and else- 

 where the trees are indestructible, within of 

 course, all reasonable limits — that is, with 

 moderate and careful tapping, and keeping the 

 bark of the trees clean, &c. On ex poii mental 

 tappings of trees ranging from two to three years 

 and of girths from 11 in. to 18 in., the following 

 results were obtained from first tappings : — 



Trees. Jn#. 



2 of 21 yrs., 12 & 13 girth gave 4 grams wet rubber. 



1 do' do 14 do 12 do do 



2 do do 13 & 17 do 24 do do 



3 do do 11, 15, IS do 31 do do 



71 do (28 grams to 1 oz.) 



or an average of nearly 9 grams per tree wet 

 rubber. Then, again, a first tapping of 91 larger 

 trees, 2A to three years old, gave 3 lb. wet rubber 

 or nearly r, oz. per tree. In another instance, 

 75 trees, also at the first tapping, gave 21b. and 

 \ oz. or somewhat under £ oz. por tree wet rub- 

 ber, and this in a district where the rainfall is 

 only 56 inches in the year, and in a dry season 

 when most of the leaves were off the trees. 

 Theso trees can be tapped at the very least two 

 or three times per week without in any way 

 injuring the tree so long as reasonable care is 

 taken, and the trees are known to give more 

 latex at the second and subsequent tappings. 

 In a district where the rainfall is greater, nearly 

 double the amount of latex would be obtained. 

 From these dry-weathor experiments it will be 

 seen that the lowest possible average from one 

 well-grown tree just ready for tapping is fully 



10 grams wet rubber per tree, and at the lowest 

 rate of tapping— that is, twice a week— this 

 works out at 1~010 grams, or about 37 ozs. of 

 wet rubber per tree per annum, which, after 

 deducting 30 per cent, for moisture, leaves 26 ozs. 

 of dry rubber per tree. 



In the old plantations a great number of the 

 trees are from nine to thirteen years old, and 

 still producing latex in large quantities. Ceara 

 trees, "Manihot Glaziovii" ancl"M. Dichotoma," 

 yield for their size and age far more latex in 

 proportion than the Para (Hevea) trees. As an 

 example of the wonderful hardiuess of theso, it 

 may be mentioned that trees are to be met with 

 that have been damaged by being broken off 

 from the ravages of white ants and other causes 

 to within 2 ft. or 3 ft. of the ground, putting out 

 a new shoot and making an entirely new tree. 

 Incases of this sort, of course, the actual roots 

 have not been damaged. 



Ceara rubber, or M:init;oba, known as Mani- 

 hot Glaziovii, belongs to tho spurge ordor, and 

 is a very close relation to the Cassava plant, 

 from which tapioca is made and thrives best in 

 deep loamy soil. These notes are given with a 

 view of contradicting reports that have been 

 spread to the effect that the life aud hardiness 

 were not all that could bo desired. — lam, &c, 



John S. Low. 



Moorgate-street Station Chambers, 8th Juno. 



P.S. — The following is culled from a Brazilian 

 report :— Manihot Glaziovii, which produces a 

 rubber more pure even than thai of Para. There 

 are plantations iu the State of Bahia where 676 

 trees per acre are dealt with and return 1,490 lb. 

 of rubber per annum. Note : — This is, of course 

 in their native soil and climate, and where the 

 country is at times Hooded for months at a time, 

 but instead of injuring the trees it adds con- 

 siderably to their growth and yield of latex. — 

 J.S.L.— Financial Times, Juno 9. 



THE TEA AND PRODUCE GOS2S1ITTEE. 



Report For the Year 1909-1910. 

 The Committee has held six meetings during 

 the year. 



The year will be memorable in the history of 

 Ceylon agriculture for the increased attention 

 given to the cultivation of rubber. The Com- 

 mittee has watched with interest the progress 

 of the movement which has attracted much 

 public attention throughout the world. 



Fears, however, have beon aroused that the 

 enormous extension in the area under cultiva- 

 tion, both in Ceylon and the Malay States, may 

 cause some difficulties as to the labour supply. 

 In June last Mr A Thomson, acting on tho re- 

 commendations given in the report of the Com- 

 mission appointed by Sir Henry WcCallum to 

 enquire into and report upon labour conditions 

 in the Island of Ceylon, addressed a letter to 

 the President of the Association, embodying 

 proposals for the formation of a Ceylon Pro- 

 prietors,' Labour Federation. Mr Thomson's 

 letter was forwarded to the Chairman of the 

 Planters' Association for the consideration of 

 Proprietors in Ceylon. In October last certain 

 resolutions passed on the subject at a meeting 



