and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



285 



mation of pads, or black marks on the wood. 

 My objection is to the character of the renewed 

 bark after pricking, i.e. the non-laticiferous 

 tissue beneath the pricker cuts and the greater 

 tendency to produce burrs. Mr. Williamson 

 and others must recognise that if I had made 

 this a personal question, I should have been 

 tempted to join him in adducing the formation 

 ot rubber pads as another argument against the 

 use of the pricker. 



Mr. Williamson closes with a personal note. 

 It would be easy to follow his example with 

 equally irrelevant sneers. I would point out 

 that 1 am in Ceylon as a plant pathologist ; 

 hence my criticism must be in a great measure 

 destructive, dealing with possible errors in 

 methods, and also in ideas, which tend to swell 

 the number of pathological phenomena, though 

 in some cases, e.g. planting distances, the des- 

 tructive carries the constructive with it. i 

 regret the limitation, but under the circum- 

 stances it is obligatory. 



T. PETCH. 



RUBBER ON THE MSLG1HSS. 



The anuual report of the Scientific Depart- 

 ment of the Imperial Institute in London, ou 

 the specimens of Nilgiri rubber submitted to it 

 for examination and valuation is very encourag- 

 ing. The specimens were of " Para (Hevea 

 brasiliensis"), prepared at the Government ex- 

 perimental gardens at Kullar and Burliar, and 

 the opinion was expressed that from both sources 

 the chemical composition was very good, and 

 compared favourably with similar 



SPECIMENS FKOM CEYLON, 



except in the matter of strength. The Burliar 

 rubber was much lighter in colour than that 

 from Kullar and was, for that reason, valued 

 at a higher figure than that from Kullar, the 

 quotations being 5s 4d to 5s 5d per pound ; 

 and 5s to 5s 2d per pound respectively, 

 with plantation biscuits at os 3d to 5s 

 9d per pouud. Beside Para rubber speci- 

 mens, "Castilloa" rubber specimens ("Castilloa 

 Elastica ') were also received for examination by 

 the same authority, from the two localities above 

 mentioned. The "Castilloa : ' from Kullar was 

 of inferior quality on account of the largo 

 amount (32"5 per cent.) of resin present. Per- 

 haps as the specimens were taken from young 

 trees, not more than six years old, which is the 

 age of all the experiments with rubber planting 

 on the Nilgiris, the quality may improve as th'o 

 trees become older. The specimens from Bur- 

 liar were superior in physical properties to that 

 from Kullar and contained no more than 13 per- 

 cent, of resin. Their values were from 3s. 6d. to 

 3s. 8d. per pound, compared with line, hard, 

 Para selling at 5s. Id. per pound. The Kullar 

 Castilloa was valued at 3s. 2d. to 3s. 4d. per 

 pound. The "Ceara" (Manihot Glaziovii) was 

 biscuit rubber from Kullar and was found of good 

 quality, containing 82-5 per cent, of caoutchouc 

 and exhibiting very satislactory physical proper- 

 ties. It was quoted at 5s. 6d. per pound, Para 

 biscuits being quoted at 5s. 3d. to 5s. 9d. per 

 pound, thus showing that this rubber Ik of tho 

 best and proiniacu well for the planter. 



THE EXPERIMENTAL GARDENS 



from which the specimens were sent are wayside 

 stations on the Uoonoor Ghaut road, Kullar, 

 having an elevation of little more than l;2Uu 

 feet, and Burliar of 2,400 feet. The latter was 

 regarded by Mr. EB Thomas, a former Collector 

 of the Coimbatoro District, of which the Nilgiris 

 once formed a taluq, as a suitable place for 

 growing and acclimatising sub-tropical fruits 

 and epices, such as the mangosteen, the clove, 

 nutmeg, cocoa and tho vanilla, introduced from 

 the Moluccas and where they are thriving 

 luxuriantly. Government sanctioned tho open- 

 ing of this experimental garden in the latter 

 titties, and continue to maintain it to the pro- 

 sent day, no better soil and climate on the 

 Nilgiris being found for the purpose contem- 

 plated. Kullar and Burliar are extremely 

 feverish, but as the Nilgiri Railway has stations 

 at both places, a stay under their malarial in- 

 fluences at night can be avoided. Formerly, 

 relays of bearers were kept at Kullar and Bur- 

 liar for the visitor for whom tongas and munc- 

 heels were tho only means of conveyance up to 

 the sanitaria on the plateau. 



At one time Government was not dispoEed to 

 continue experimental rubber cultivation as part 

 of the duties of the curator of Nilgiri Parks and 

 gardens, intending, as then reported, to make 

 rubber a forest product and entrust the culti- 

 vation to the Conservator of Forests and his 

 Assistants. Little, however, has since been 

 heard of this official rumour. And the South 

 Indian planter has, therefore, the whole indus- 

 try in Ins hands, and is pursuing it, both in 

 Government and native territory with commend- 

 able enthusiasm and energy. 



RUBBER AT BEAUFORT, BORNEO. 



All the rubber estates here are doing very 

 well, the younger trees growing with marvel- 

 lous rapidity. 1 have visited all the estates and 

 found everything satisfactory as regards the 

 treatment of coolies, the fact that there are so 

 few absconders where there are so mauy coolies 

 on merely monthly contracts proves that they 

 have little to complain of. Mr, Watson has 

 imported a large number of Klings from Sin- 

 gapore, under no contract. They were recruited 

 by the Mandores who came in charge of gangs 

 and, in not a few cases I believe, wore got into 

 the country under false pretences. A good 

 number had never worked on an estate before 

 but were merely sampan and dock coolies 

 who state that they were told they were going 

 to similar work in Sarawak. This, of course, 

 in the absence of a contract — which I am told 

 the Singapore authorities refuse to register for 

 Klings coming to this country — is hard to prove, 

 and the men came at their own risk. How- 

 ever, the bulk of these men have made no 

 complaints and appear contented. Javanese 

 coolies have also been imported to several of 

 the Estates and come almost as cheaply as local 

 labour, besides being bound for a longor con- 

 tract. The Protector, Mr. Penney stayed four 

 days in Beaufort at the beginning of the month 

 but paid official visits only to Woodford and 

 Klias Estates. During tho month the Planters' 

 Association hold a meeting in Beaufort,:— British 

 North Borneo Herald, Aug. 16. 



