and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



193 



RUBBER IN BOMBAY. 



RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTAL 

 CULTIVATION. 



The results of the experimental cultivation of 

 rubber in the Bombay Presidency are embodied 

 in the following correspondence between the 

 Conservator of forests, N.C., and the Secretary 

 to Government in the Revenue Department : — 

 On May 22, the Conservator, N.C., wrote : — 

 I have the honour to refer to Government 

 Resolution of the 3rd August, 1907, and to submit 

 herewith my report on the result of the ex- 

 periments in the cultivation of rubber in the 

 Northern Circle, together with copies of three 

 reports from the Divisional Forest Officers, 

 North, Central and South Thana, respectively. 



The experiments were first started in the 

 rains of 1906, by the rearing of plants in boxes 

 in the verandahs of the bungalows, or in the 

 gardens of Mr. Gleadow, at that time Con- 

 servator of Forests, N.C., and his Divisional 

 Forest Officers. Orders for the undertaking of 

 experimental plantations in the forests were 

 subsequently issued by Mr. Gleadow to the 

 Divisional Forest Officers, North, South and 

 Central Thana, in letters which have been printed 

 in exlenso as accompaniments to Government 

 Resolution referred to in paragraph 1 above. 

 These orders were issued by Mr. Gleadow prior 

 to his departure on leave, and it is a distinct 

 loss to the Forest Service in Bombay that he 

 has since retired on pension. 



The reports which have been submitted by 

 the above three Divisional Forest Officers show 

 the extent and results of the rubber plantations 

 carried out by them. Copies of these reports 

 ar6 appended and whilst allowing them in the 

 main to speak for themselves, I beg to sum- 

 marise them as follows : — 



Noeth Thana. 



The Divisional Forest Officer has reported that 

 from various causes his experiments in rearing 

 and transplanting rubber plants have met with 

 practically no success. The net results are 6 plants 

 of Ceara in fairly flourishing states in the forest 

 out of 1,000 seeds experimented with ; and no 

 Ficus Elastica plants from J lb. of seed sown. The 

 Divisional Forest Officer has stated good reasons 

 why such poor success attended his efforts, and 

 I consider that his Division is not well situated 

 for the carrying out of rubber experiments, 

 which require constant attention. Under the 

 circumstances I do not propose to continue to 

 experiment in growing rubber in North Thana. 

 Centeal Thana. 



The Divisional Forest Officer reports that the 

 first experiments made with Para (Hevea 

 Elastica) and Indian Rubber (Ficus Elastica) 

 seeds were all failures. Subsequently a small 

 nursery was started in the Bassein Range and 

 fresh experiments made with 1,000 Ceara 

 (Manihot Glaziovii) seeds and \ lb. of Ficus 

 seeds. The progress of these experiments is 

 detailed at length in Mr Gilbert's interesting 

 report. The Ficus seeds failed to germinate at 

 all, partly owing to the bad seeds and partly 

 perhaps to the proper manner of sowing the 

 seeds not having then been understood. The 



net results for the Ceara seeds are 27 healthy 

 plants which are well established in the Pelhar 

 nursery ; and though this seems a poor result 

 from 1,000 seeds, it is largely due to misfortunes t 

 with the germinating plants. More Ceara seeds 

 have since been obtained and the Divisional 

 Forest Officer considers that the experimental 

 nursery and plantation should be continued, I 

 have inspected it and agree with him in this 

 opinion. The site selected is poor but the best 

 to be found where water is obtainable, within 

 convenient distance of the Railway ; and the 

 cost which is being incurred on the experiment 

 is small and includes expenditure upon a well 

 which will be of permanent benefit. 



South 'ihana. 



Rubber experiments have been carried on in 

 this Division on a very much larger scale and 

 with proportionately much more success. The 

 Divisional Forest Officer has his head-quarters 

 within his Division and was able to find a 

 suitable situation for the experimental planta- 

 tion in forest at a distance of only 2 or 3 

 miles from Thana. Mr Madan, who has taken 

 great interest in the experiments, was thus 

 able to pay constant attention to the nursery 

 and plantation during the rains and further to 

 inspect them at fairly regular intervals during 

 the camping season. The results have well 

 repaid tho attention paid to the work and are 

 shown at length in Mr Madan's report. Smaller 

 plantations have been made at three other places 

 in forests in the neighbourhood of Thana, as 

 will be noted in Mr Madan's report. I propose, 

 however, to confine my remarks to 



The Principal Plantation— at Mulund. 



This plantation was first started in Mulund 

 forest in the rains of 1906 under Mr Gleadow's 

 direction by the sowing of seeds of Ceara, Cas- 

 tilloa, Para and Ficus Indica. By the com- 

 mencement of the rains of 1907 the plants, which 

 had been successfully reared in the forest nur- 

 sery and were ready for planting out were : — 

 Ceara. . . 118 



Castilloa .. 13 



Para ... 17 



Ficus Indica .. 81 



Total . . 229 



These plants were planted out over two acres of 

 forest land which had been cleared of under- 

 growth, and were watered in the manner related 

 in the report. With the exception of some half- 

 a-dozen, which have died from various causes, 

 the plants have flourished and are thriving at 

 the present time though varying much in their 

 height growth. Since the beginning of the rains 

 of 1907 a further number of 1,697 plants have 

 been reared from seed in the nursery as follows: — 

 Ceara ... no 



Castilloa ... 378 



Para . . 222 



Ficus . . 987 



These plants are healthy and will be removed to 

 the plantation in the coming rains, and planted 

 out over an additional eight acres of land, thus 

 extending the size of the plantation to ten acres. 



The plantation, etc., was inspected by me in 

 December, 1907 on my arrival in the Northern 

 Circle and a further supply of seeds of Ceara and 

 Para had subsequently been obtained by me by 

 post from Ceylon and given to Mr Madan. Since 



2G 



