404 The Supplement to the 



trees in 24 days by the new process gave 55 

 lb. of dry rubber, whereas under the old 

 system it took many more days— say about 

 55— to secure that quantity of rubber. The 

 fact that the bark is not stripped is, of course, 

 claimed as perhaps the greatest advantage of the 

 new process. The exact use of the latex in the 

 tree has never been, discovered, and not only Mr 

 Herbert Wright in his book but other experts 

 have asserted that the mere extraction of this 

 fluid, apart from the removal of bark, has not 

 been proved by exhaustive experiments to have 

 the least injurious effect on the health or vigour 

 of the tree. There have been plenty of warn- 

 ings, however, against too drastic or frequent 

 stripping of bark. Under the new system not 

 only are the resources of the tree which would 

 be expended in bark-renewal conserved, but 

 the cambium is protected by the bark re- 

 maining. In short it is claimed that the old 

 system was entirely wrong, and that by it 

 the minimum amount of rubber is obtained 

 by doing almost the maximum amount of 

 injury to the tree. It can be demonstrated 

 that large portions of the surface were not 

 drained at all, while other parts were probably 

 over-drained. The new system, with the mini- 

 mum amount of damage, extracts the maximum 

 amount of latex in the shortest time. The 

 visible difference in the character of the latex 

 (as is testified to by all who have seen the system) 

 is remarkable as compared with the old methods. 

 Experience has amply proved that, under the 

 old system, as you proceeded, the latex became 

 gradually weaker ; under the new method, having 

 obtained, say, Jib. of rubber per tree from five 

 year old trees, you leave the tree alone for two 

 months, though it has been found that in a short 

 time the tree is again full of latex. 



I. 



Kandy, April 7th. 



Dkak Sik, — Tapping " virum que cam." Who 

 is to be modern Virgil to immortalise the com- 

 ing war between North way and his pricking pro- 

 cess of securing latex, backed by the mighty P. A. 

 experts-e ersus Fetch, the Peradeniya Mycologists 



The last circular issued by the Royal Botanic 

 Gardens, and fathered by M.r. T. Petch, sums 

 up his warnings as follows: — "The question of 

 burrs on the renewed bark deserves serious 

 attention ; indeed, it might justly be said that 

 this is more important than any disease at 

 present known in Hevea cultivation, because it 

 raises the question : whether in many cases it 

 will be possible to tap twice on the same area " 

 and "the point should be considered most care- 

 fully before new systems of tapping based on the 

 use of the pricker are adopted, and it must be 

 remembered that two years at least must elapse 

 before the effects of any system can be seen." 

 This is a matter that affects the tree, not the 

 quality of the latex.— Yours truly, W. D. G. 



it, 



Neboda, April 7th. 

 Sift, — I am very glad to see so many places 

 taking up the new tapping system; but I do 

 hope that there will be no attempt to put in 

 large acreages till the system has been proved. 

 500 trees under the system for six weeks will 

 either set the superintendent swearing or re- 



\opical Agriculturist 



joicing. It must not be taken for granted that, 

 because a certain method is successful on one 

 estate, it will be equally successful on some other 

 estate, unless conditions are the same. I hope 

 I may be wrong, but I do not believe it is suit- 

 able to the general run of estates which are not 

 manured and more or less steep. You have to 

 be mighty careful with a tree which has only 

 the common soil to live on; but with the 

 manured tree, what can't you do with it ? 



Some of the statements in your article some 

 days ago nearly take one's breath away ; but 

 all I ask is that the system be properly tested 

 before a large number of trees are set aside for it; 

 and the more estates which try it, the more con- 

 clusive will be the decision one way or the other. 



Pricking 1 have always had the greatest res- 

 pect for, because it would seem to be such a bark- 

 saver, and therefore, a saving on the energies of 

 the tree as compared with paring. 1 have, how- 

 ever, never been able to obtain the same satis- 

 factory results with the former as with the latter, 

 and am now inclined to somewhat, if not wholly, 

 discount this theory. 



What appears to happen is that the tissue 

 round the wound made by the pricker decays, 

 and in healing is worked right out through the 

 bark. Some few days after pricking these little 

 scabs can be prised out with a penknife. Then, 

 of course, the pricker having touched the cam- 

 bium, a small growth takes place which covers 

 the whole of the area of the wound where the 

 pricker actually found contact with thecambium. 

 Judging from the green or active appearance of 

 the tissues between the wounds, there would 

 appear to be considerable more claim on the 

 energies of the tree than would first appear. 



I shoufd say that my remarks do not in any 

 way apply to the Malay States, where the con- 

 ditions prevailing I have only heard of. I have 

 no actual knowledge of them. — Yours, &c, 



G. H GOLLEDGE. 



[The new system of tapping has so much to 

 commend it that most planters will be pre- 

 pared to take the risks of possibly injuring 

 their trees rather than waiting to see the 

 harmlessness of the system demonstrated by 

 time. Whether the new system of tapping, 

 based on the use of the pricker, will eventually 

 prove disastrous to the rubber tree or not, 

 remains to be proved ; but should it unfortu 

 nately turn out to be injurious, the revelation 

 will be a bitter one to many. " W.D.G." in a 

 letter elsewhere emphasises a warning uttered 

 by Mr. Petch on the point. Mr. G H Golledge 

 in his letter advocates caution in adopting the 

 new system until it is proved to be thoroughly 

 safe on the tree. And from his considerable expe- 

 rience his counsel will carry weight. -A. M.&J.F.] 



METHODS OF TAPPING HEVEA 

 BRASILIENSIS. 



Peradeniya, April 9th. 

 Sjk,— Since Circular No. 18 was passed for 

 publication, a pamphlet on Methods of Tap- 

 ping Hevea Brasiliensis by Dr. H Pitting has 

 come to hand. I enclose a translation of that 

 part of it which relates to the use of the pricker. 



