Gums, Resins, 



104 



[August, 1909. 



month. and then planting these side by 

 side with unsoaked seed, when results 

 wei e found to be same. As stated before, 

 the great point is to use seed at least a 

 year old from strong healthy trees of 

 about 3 to 4 years' maturity. 



Selection of seed from the best rubber- 

 producing trees is receiving the atten- 

 tion of experienced growers, by whom it 

 is expected increased yields of rubber 

 will result therefrom. 



As a rule, the seed is sown in nursery 

 beds, and when a few inches or a foot or 

 more high, the plants are transferred to 

 their permanent places in the fields. 

 Some transfer the tiny seedling from 

 the nursery beds or seed boxes into pots 

 made of banana leaf sheaths or bamboo 

 gtems before final planting out. 



The method of planting the seed in the 

 field, or as it is known at " stake " is also 

 practised by some, but by others con- 

 demned on the ground that many vacan- 

 cies occur and the trees are of uneven 

 growth in addition to more work being 

 entailed in keeping the fields free of 

 weeds during the first six months or so. 



Cuttings.— Propagation is also carried 

 out by sections of the branches an inch 

 or more in diameter and a foot or 

 upwards in length. These grow readily, 

 but the trees readily assume a dwarf 

 straggling habit and give off several 

 stems which, if not early removed, retard 

 the development of the tree. The rub- 

 ber obtained from trees raised by seeds 

 or cuttings is said to be of the same 

 quality, and as regards yield no records 

 are available. 



Soil, &c— The tree thrives best in a 

 good friable loamy soil of fair depth, and 

 where the temperature aud humidity 

 are high, such as at many parts of the 

 coast and other similar districts, but 

 the elevation must not exceed about 

 3,000 feet. The tree thrives at higher 

 altitudes, but the rubber has been proved 

 to contain too much resin to be of suffi- 

 cient commercial value. 



Preparation of Land.— Should the 

 land contain scrub this must be cut 

 down and burnt or placed in rows to rot. 

 In the same manner it will be found 

 beneficial to clear away grass and weeds 

 which may also be burnt when dry or 

 allowed to decay to provide humus. It 

 the land has not been under previous 

 cultivation it would be much improved 

 by ploughing or hoeing, but if hoeing 

 is intended the land need not be turned 

 over as subsequent weedings would stir 

 up the soil. 



Lining and Holing— In the matter of 

 distances to plant opinions and practices 

 differ very considerably, but for general 



purposes 12x12 is recommended. A 

 favourite method by many is to allow 12 

 feet between the rows and 6 feet from 

 plant to plant, and to tap each altercate 

 tree in the rows to exhaustion after a 

 year or 18 months' growth, the per- 

 manent distances being then 12'xlS£'. 

 Six feet square is also allowed, and each 

 alternate tree tapped to exhaustion. 

 Others again allow about 9 feet per- 

 manently each way, but this distance is 

 thought by most Ceara rubber planters 

 to be too close. 



The digging of holes 18" in diameter 

 and the same iu depth is very desirable 

 especially in new land where the soil is 

 usually of a somewhat sour nature and 

 needs exposure to the atmosphere. It 

 is also advisable to allow the holes to 

 remain open for a week or two before 

 being Allied in with good surface soil. 

 In the event of planting at stake being 

 adopted holes should be prepared or a 

 thorough stirring up of the soil carried 

 out so as to give the seedlings a fair 

 chance. From 5 to 7 seeds are placed at 

 each stake, and should two or more seeds 

 germinate, the strongest plant only is 

 allowed to remain. 



Planting.— This can best be carried 

 out at the commencement of the long or 

 short rains. 



Weeding. — As in the case of other cul- 

 tivations the trees will be much benefit- 

 ted by keeping the land free of weeds, 

 tor which three or four annual weedings 

 will be ample. 



Pruning. — Some experienced growers 

 remove the terminal bud or growing 

 point when the plant is about 2 feet high. 

 This is done to cause the lower part of 

 the stem to thicken as it has been found 

 that more rubber is obtained by tapping 

 the lower part of the trunk than higher 

 up. One trunk only should be allowed, 

 and any branches appearing thereon 

 should be early removed but no further 

 pruning is necessary. The more nu- 

 merous the terminal branches the more 

 vigorous the tree becomes as the number 

 of leaves is increased which are the lungs 

 of the tree. 



Age at which Tree should be 

 Tapped.— Practical experiments carried 

 out over a series of years are said to 

 have proved that tapping should be 

 commenced at the eud of the 2nd year, 

 or shortly afterwards, as it has been 

 found that trees that have remained 

 untapped till the 4th or 5th year yield 

 less rubber and of poorer quality than 

 do such trees of a similar age, but which 

 have been tapped early, say at the end 

 of the 2nd year, and regularly after- 

 wards ; in fact, early tapped trees are 

 found to yield rubber in increasing quan- 



