Gums, Resins, 



318 



[October, 190$ 



A distance of at least 15 feet between 

 the trees is recommended in good soil. 

 Wind belts are strongly advocated, to 

 be established as soon as the clearing is 

 made. 



In 1906 Mr. Cardozo obtained 1,161 qr. 

 of dry rubber from a group of four trees in 

 ninety-two tappings. In 1907 the same 

 four trees yielded 1,231 qr. in sixty-one 

 tappings. A fairly marked increase, but 

 this rate of tapping is regarded as too 

 severe for trees seven years old. 



Tapping should not be begun before 

 the 8th year unless the tree is at least 

 2 feet in girth. 



The arrangement of the laticiferous 

 vessels in Ceara shows that it is impos- 

 sible to ol >tain a large quantity of latex 

 at one tapping. Tapping must be re- 

 peated aj frequent intervals. It is 

 found that twice as much iatex is obtain- 

 ed in the morning as in the afternoon, 

 and the work of tapping shoiild therefore 

 be confined to the former period. 



The method of tapping adopted was to 

 make a series of horizontal incisions 

 1 cm. in length at intervals of 5 to 7 cm. 

 in a verticle direction. The drops of 

 latex run down the trunk and are caught 

 in a little gutter placed near the base 

 of the tree. 



Two opposite areas are tapped on one 

 day, and a pair of intermediate faces on 

 the next, and when the original area is 

 again reached, the cuts are made between 

 the old ones. 



Some notes are given on the difference 

 between Jequie Manicoba and Ceara. 



The former germinates in 9-18 days 

 without any necessity for filing the seeds^ 



It is less variable in its vegetative 

 growth than Ceara. 



The latex makes its appearance later. 

 The leaves are more liable to be eaten 

 by locusts. 



The greater value of Manihot dicho- 

 toma (Jequie Manicoba) is primarily asso- 

 ciated with the thicker bark as compar- 

 ed with Ceara. — Journal d' Agriculture 

 Tropicale, June, 1908, p. 163. 



CEARA RUBBER IN THE DRY 

 ZONE OF CEYLON. 



By J. C. Willis. 

 Manihot Glaziovii is a native of the 

 Ceara province of Brazil, a hilly region 

 with a climate apparently not unlike 

 that of north Ceylon, and a rainfall of 

 about 45 inches (about equal to that at 

 Jaffna). In wet southern Ceylon this 



plant succeeds well enough, and on drier 

 places like Pallekelle, grows like a weed. 



This species has been given a trial on 

 the Experiment Station at Maha-iluppa- 

 lama, 11 miles from Kekirawa on the 

 road leading to Talawa Station. The 

 first lot (shown in the first photo) was 

 planted on unirrigable land, locally sup- 

 posed to be only fit for chena, but 

 really with a good soil. The seed was 

 sown in February, 1907, and the trees 

 planted out 10 feet by 10 over five acres 

 in August, 1907. In August, 1908, the 

 ground was all but covered, the sky 

 being only visible between the trees in 

 places. The growth was very uniform 

 and good, and the trees about 9 feet 

 high. Taking two central rows of 

 the trees, and measuring the girth at 

 3 feet from the ground, it gave the 

 following figures in inches — First row 

 % 5|, 7*, 8|, 5J, 8, 6, lh, 5h 5, 6i, 6, 4£ 6, 9, 

 6f, 6, 8, 7|, 6, 1, 8h 7h 6, 9, 7, 8}, 9, 8, 7*, 

 8*, 8h 7$ 8. P, 6, U, "6, 6, 7. Second row 

 10, 8|; 8, 6, 7i, 6|, 9£, 7f, 8, 7|, 9|, 8, 10, 9, 

 9|, 5, 7*, 6, 5, 5i, 4|. U, 6^, 4£, 7-f, 5, 7*, 7, 6i, 

 5, Ql 8, 8f, 8i, "6, 7, 7, 9. " This gives an 

 average girth of just over 7 inches for 78 

 consecutive trees chosen at random. 

 The trees are growing vigorously and 

 their latex runs freely, though of course 

 they are as yet much too young to tap. 



The second photograph shows trees 

 from seed of February, 1908, planted out 

 about four months ago as shade for 

 cacao, on irrigable land with rather 

 better soil. These are growing even 

 better, but no measurements were taken. 



The finest Ceara rubber trees in the 

 island are probably some growing about 

 ten miles south of Trincomalee bay, and 

 there is little doubt that this species 

 will prove well suited to the dry zone. 

 As it will grow on unirrigable land there 

 is plenty of country now available for it. 



CAMPHOR PROSPECTS. 



The Indo-European Commercial In- 

 telligence of Bombay is worthy the 

 attention of those interested in camphor, 

 as the issues from June onward contain 

 very useful articles on the cultivation 

 and preparation of this drug. We still 

 maintain, in spite of adverse opinions, 

 that this industry is worthy of much 

 more notice on the part of all planters 

 and landowners to cultivate it success- 

 fully, either extensively cr on a small 

 scale. 



Our contemporary maintains that a 

 move has been made in Japan to enable 

 a local Japanese concern to secure the 



