388 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



Ceylon rubber has a fair fame at present — 

 perhaps not as unstained as a few years ago 

 when only old trees were being tapped ; but it 

 is a certainty that if we tap 3 and 4 year old 

 trees as Messrs. Lee, Hedges & Co. advise in 

 glowing terms can be done remuneratively, that 

 in a few short months the price of Ceylon rubber 

 will be so far below hard Para that it will only 

 be seen by those buyers who are trying to imitate 

 the Germans in turning out cheap goods with 

 cheap and nasty materials.— yours faithfully, 

 W. B. D. 



III. 



March 21st. 

 Dear Sir, — If "W. D. G." thinksMr. Herbert 

 Wright's ideas are now getting rather out of 

 date, I should be glad to know whose idea is 

 the muoh-talked-of new tapping system. I 

 think it is Mr. Wright's, as could be seen from 

 the following. Mr. Wright, when questioned by 

 your reporter, said: — " Theoretically speaking 

 the milk from the tree is of no use as food to the 

 plant and if it can be extracted in good quantities 

 p om the tree without cutting away the bark tissues, 

 say by apricking method, it would perhaps be 

 better for the tree.' 1 When further questioned, 

 "Are all these trees scraped before tapping 

 he replied : "yes, but only to ensure that the 

 latex shall be free from bark impurities." Vide 

 Tropical Agriculturist Vol. XXV page 317. — 

 Yours faithfully, 



T. L. S. 



[We welcome these expressions of opinion from 

 rubber planters. With regard to the point 

 raised by "W.B.D." as to whether the new 

 system will increase yields, wo are |in a 

 position to say he is not singular in his 

 doubts on this point. But, although the 

 new system may not increase the yield from 

 individual trees, it will largely increase the 

 yield from the whole estate by rendering 

 possible the tapping of immature trees. It 

 is this probably the Directors have in mind 

 when they "talkof doubling and trebling the crop 

 for the current year "; it is somewhat alarming 

 to find the unanimity with which they seem to 

 have made up their minds to get quantity at 

 whatever ultimate cost. Our correspondent 

 " T.L.S." points out that, far from being out of 

 date, Mr. Herbert Wright s ideas led directly 

 to the invention of the new system of tapping. 

 —A. M. & J. F.] 



PARA (HEVEA) INDIAN RUBBER 

 CULTIVATION. 



Royal Colonial Institute, Northumberland 



Avenue, London, W.C., Feb. 8th, 1909. 

 Dear Sir,— Remembering the interest which 

 you have always displayed in the subject of the 

 cultivation of the Hevea Indian rubber, will 

 you permit my sending you again a note of 

 warning— against certain dangers— for you to 

 make use of, should you see occasion. The 

 occasion already (as I think) presents itself, 

 seeing the too common acceptance by Eastern 

 estates of methods unsuited to this tree : 



one, the plantation and cultivation of which is 

 of most promise and of growing magnitude. 

 One point to be considered is the ill-effect of, or 

 from, shock or over-strain, whereby the general 

 vitality of the trees may become impaired; and 

 the incidental and cumulative effect of such 

 treatment, likely to render or lay open, through 

 a lowered vitality, to the inroads of morbid or 

 fungoid growths. In equatorial jungle-land and 

 soils, germs which are capable of inducing 

 disease are, of course, generally and naturally 

 present ; but in the case of tree or plant nor- 

 mally healthy, they remain innocuous by reason 

 of natural resisting power. If, however, the 

 vitality of the subject be lowered, either directly 

 and locally by physical injury, or indirectly 

 through a general lowering of vitality in the 

 body, this resisting power becomes impaired; and 

 so much, until the vital energy be restored. 



When vitality is impaired, spores, of morbid 

 growth, are enabled to enter, find lodgment, 

 settle and multiply in the weakened tissues— if 

 not overcome. 



As in our own conditions of life, we all 

 breathe and take in the same germ-conveying 

 air and foods, yet without material hurt or 

 damage unless, and when, they are enabled to 

 obtain lodgment in the system through cause, 

 i.e., accidental injury, overstrain or other where- 

 by natural vitality is lowered below normal. 



So in the community conditions of plant-life 

 in plantation and estate. Thus, as I have always 

 held from the beginning of this industry, me- 

 thods entailing removal of bark-tissue, the all 

 too close planting and spacing, unsuitable culti- 

 vation (methods now too common on many 

 Eastern estates), constitute a danger, as being 

 unsuited and unsuitable to a forest tree of the 

 nature and habit of the Hevea ; and it would 

 be hardly matter for surprise should sign of 

 root-failure, and its consequences, supervene 

 and show itself in such case. — I am, yours 

 faithfully, 



H. A. WICKHAM. 



RUBBER IN EAST AFRICA. 



Interesting Information. 

 We quote as follows from a business letter 

 of enquiry : — 



Blantyre, Feb. 1J.— You will be interested to 

 know that Ceara Rubber is being widely planted 

 here and this Company, the Blantyre and East 

 Africa Ltd., will have 



NEARLY 1,500 ACRES UNDER CULTIVATION 



in this product by the end of March. 

 Some of this acreage is now 4i years old and 

 the trees range in age down to those planted 

 out in the current season. Ceara does well 

 here. We are anxious to learn the best system 

 of tapping ; the system spoken of by Messrs. 

 Lee, Hedges & Co. (as shown in your journal) 

 might suit Ceylon with its moist climate but 

 might not suit this country which has a wet 

 season for say five months and a long dry sea- 

 son of seven months. Will the system apply 

 equally well to a country which has a continen- 

 tal climate ? Briefly our conditions are as 

 follows; — 



