and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



601 



JODELITE- 



A Wood Preservative. 

 On page iii of this issue will be found an 

 advertisement of Jodelite, a preparation which 

 has been found by severe tests to be an effective 

 preventative of dry rot, fungus and the attacks 

 of white ants, by which in the tropics fur- 

 niture and wood work generally get so badly 

 damaged. From hygienic reasons a preparation 

 which prevents dry rot is ' greatly to be de- 

 sired. A bungalow affected by dry rot is gener- 

 a)lj r regarded as being unhealthy ; we have 

 even heard cases of "Ceylon Sore Mouth" or 

 "Sprue" being ascribed, to the fact that the 

 patient had resided for a considerable length 

 of time in a bungalow in which dry rot was 

 established. Jodelite has been used with 

 perfect success in remedying damp walls, for 

 preserving wooden bridges and roohng, fences, 

 etc., so that it should be of considerable inter- 

 est to residents in tropical countries, especially 

 to planters. 



PARA RUBBER CROPS. 



The proprietor of a young rubber plantation 

 thinks it is quite time that some approximate 

 estimates for yield per tree, according to size 

 and age, should be furnished and he accord- 

 ingly sends us the following table for the pur- 

 pose of provoking discussion. He writes as 

 follows : — 



"Would enclosed table in the opinion of readers 

 of your paper more experienced than myself 

 in the yield of Para Rubber, be at all approxi- 

 mately correct for the moister lowcountry 

 districts of Ceylon ? I shall be much obliged 

 if you or they will correct my figures. Of 

 course, trees vary very much, it is well-known, 

 in their yield — size for size — and age for age ; 

 but still taken over a sufficient acreage it 

 seems to me that useful tables, fixing on an 

 average, might possibly bo formulated respec- 

 tively for different altitudes and rainfalls for 

 ' Ceylon Para.' 



" A table of yield if one at all reliable can be 

 formulated would be valuable in estimating — 

 both against value of property and crop. Lucky 

 men indeed are those with Rubber in bearing. 

 Likewise the man who read your senior's book 

 of 20 years ago, in good time and to such good 

 purpose." 



The table is as follows : — 

 " Para Rubber : Average Yield in Pounds 

 Per Tree. 



18 in. at 3 feel. 



24 „ 



30 „ 



36 „ 



12 „ 



48 



2-3 

 1 



1 1-8 



li 



2-3 2-3 



11-8 1 1-8 



li li 



1% 13 



11 2 



-- 2i 



2-3 

 1 1-8 



H 



2 



2i 



2i 



2-3 



11-8 



li 



2 



2i 

 3 



N.B. — Trees of the same size but aged would 

 yield probably more than younger trees, hence, 

 up to a point, I adopt a sliding scale," 



76 



We referred the table to an experienced "V. 

 A." for his opinion and this is very favourably 

 and tersely expressed : — 



" This appears quite a fair estimate." 



Another proprietary planter who saw the 

 table, writes: — 



" I am afraid my experience is not sufficient 

 to justify my giving an opinion. We have har- 

 vested (tapped, I should say) some trees on 



but not in sufficient quantity and in too 



irregular a system to form accurate data for 

 publication. There were only some 200 trees 

 or thereby I planted about '99. We tapped these 

 two years ago and got about J to f lb, per tree, 

 This year we have not tapped, as the small num- 

 ber made it too expensive, to be worth while and 

 at the time the estimate for the year was made 

 out, prices were very low; so we concluded to let 

 the trees have a run until a larger number came 

 into bearing. For my own part I wished the 

 planting of Rubber to go on from the time I 

 commenced, but my opinion was overruled, and 

 I, having only a third say in the matter, could not 

 get my wish. Had planting gone on, we should 

 have had 400 to 500 acres, to tap or sell about 

 the time Kepitigalla sold at such a high figure; 

 but alas: they were not planted! There is a 

 saying of Mark Twain's quoted by Rudyard 

 Kipling in, ' From sea to sea' which is, — 

 ' When you come to think of it, neither reli- 

 gion, training, nor education avails anything 

 against the force of circumstances that drive a 

 man.' * We have about 1,500 trees at tapping age 

 now, 101 acres of very good clearings Rubber 

 alone, and the whole of the Tea with the excep- 

 tion of about 20 to 30 acres in rubber also." 



PARA RUBBER TREES AND 

 THEIR YIELD. 



With reference to the table of yields appear- 

 ing above, an experienced rubber planter 

 writes: — "I consider that rubber trees 18 in. 

 in the 8th year should go on increasing in 

 yield from 1*3 lb. to 2 lb. in the 10th year, 

 those 24 in. should go on increasing in yield 

 up to 2$ lb. in the 10th year, and those 30 in. 

 up to 2j. From those 36 in., 42 in. and 48 in. 

 you should get quite 3 lb. in the 10th year." 



RUBBER IN PERAK: AN ASSAM PRO- 

 PRIETOR IN CORRECTION. 



Doloo, Cachar, Nov. 12th. 

 Dear Sir, — Reverting to our conversation 

 on Tea and Rubber topics when passing through 

 Colombo last September, I am told you pub- 

 lished it. 1 do not mind that, if you had given 

 it accurately ; but from what I can gather from 

 those who read the article, I think you rather 

 hashed it ! I manage the Doloo concern, in 



* May be applied to rubber-planting and its 

 chances ; but not to life and character generally 

 —there is such a thing as braving and conquer- 

 ing circumstances and wonderful sometimes, is 

 "the expulsive effect of a new affection."— 

 Ed. 1 CO. 



a 



