582 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



THE MYCOLOGIST GSVES WARNSNGS 

 OH RUBBER TAPPING, 



And the Northway System. 

 We direct the attention of our rubber-plan- 

 ting readers to the warnings given by Mr. 

 T. Petch, the Government Mycologist, on the 

 question of rubber tapping; and specially should 

 they note the injunction that on no system 

 whatever is it permissible to tap over more 

 than half the circumference of the tree at 

 the same time. The Northway system directly 

 contravenes this rule ; the tapping, we be- 

 lieve, is carried on right round the stem. We 

 do not know that this is fatal to the system, how- 

 ever, for it is possible that the system could bo 

 modified in this respect if the present method is 

 found to be injurious to the tree. In this con- 

 nection a Colombo Estate Agont, answering an 

 onquirv today, says :— " The Northway system 

 is on its trial. Deviturai trees were doubtless 

 heavily manured; and poor and unmanured trees 

 will not give the rush of latex which can be 

 shown to visitors by Mr. Northway ; but I have 

 no doubt damage by his system is being dono 

 (as at first by the old V method) owing to care- 

 less work, and tapping trees which aretooyoung 

 with thin bark through which the pricker goes 

 into wood-also, by the cutting through of thin 

 bark by hoop-iron channels which in some oases 

 have been stuck in without regard to their 

 elfect on the bark.'; 



May 12th. 



Sir —Your readers should be warned that on 

 no system whatever is it permissible to tap over 

 more than half the circumference of the tree 

 at the same time. This is the maximum, where 

 trees of small girth must be tapped for finan- 

 cial reasons ; the optimum is about one-quarter 

 of the circumference. ^ ' ~ •■ 



(•^>) The statement that the latex from the 

 upper incisions of the Northway system flows 

 into the lower incisions, etc., must be accepted 

 with more than the usual quantity of salt: it is 

 impossible. . . . ... 



(3) If the wounded bark is thin, it might be 

 expected to split away from the wood and die in 

 patches, in the drier rubber distntcs. This 

 happened under the old system in the Kandy 

 district, especially when tho tree was tapped 

 with consecutive V's abqut a quarter of-an inch 



apart. fj P^TCH. 



PACKING PARA RUBBER SEEDS 

 FOR EXPORT. 



In the Agricultural Bulletin for November, 1908. 

 (Yol VII No. 11), in which the method of 

 packing Pa-a Rubber seeds for export is fully 

 described, mention will be found of a consign- 

 ment of 52 000 seods which was sent to tho 

 Botanic Gardens, British Guiana from the 

 Botanic Gardens, Singapore and the seeds being 

 "own they «ave a germination of approximately 

 80 no, this after a journey of over 53 days 



Since then a further lot of 50,600 seods of 

 Hevea brasiliensis was despatched to British 

 Guiana packed as described in the November 

 number of the Bulletin and we have to report 

 the much more satisfactory germination of 

 88 3pc. Tho following communication on the 



subject has been recoived from the Hon. the 

 Colonial Secretary, Straits Settlements, by the 

 Director of Gardens, Straits Settlements : — 

 Government Secretary's Otiice, Georgetown, Demerara. 



British (jiniara. ^jth Jan., 19CM. 



Sir,— With reference to your letter C Agents 3752-1U08 of 

 the 28rd September last, lam directed by the Governor 

 to enclose, for the information of the Director of Gardens. 

 Singapore, an extract from a letter from the Director of 

 .Science and Agriculture showing the results of the cultiva- 

 tion of the " Hevea brasiliensis " seeds obtained from your 

 Government. 



Extract from a loiter from the Director of Science and 

 Agriculture, to the Government Secretary, dated 19th 

 January, 1909. 



I have the honour to state that 50,600 seeds of Hevea 

 brasiliensis have been received from Singapore, of these 

 13.690 equivalent to of 86.3 p. e. germinated and 11,183 plants 

 or a rate of H'9 per cent have boon raised from them. I 

 believe that the proportion of seeds which germinated is a 

 record for large packages of seeds of the Para Rubber 

 which have boon several weeks in transit. 



(Sg.l.) Charles T. Cox. 

 The Quarterly Journal of The Board of Agri- 

 culture of British Guiana Vol. 11 No. 3. Jan., 

 1909, publishes the following extracts from the 

 West Indian Bulletin Vol. IX No. 3, 1908. 



"Professor Harrison (British Guiana) said that they had 

 given up the importation of rubber seeds from Ceylon and 

 they now got I hem direct from Singapore. Within the last 

 few months ho had importtd <r'.,W i seeds and had got 

 neatly 82 pur font germinating. These seeds cost on arrival 

 about 1,2c each. They were packed in dry charcoal in seed 

 b xes and were sent by parcel post to ensure quickest 

 delivery. The plants when ready for delivery had cost al- 

 together 2\">8c each. The last consignment of Hevea bra- 

 siliensis seed, from Singapore h.ul a-lre idy given a propor- 

 tion of very nearly 80 per cent germinating in a total of 

 about 5 ',000 se ds." 



These figures speak for themselves and go to show that 

 proper packing and careful planting at the end of the 

 .journey is all that is necessary to ensure the ontirely satis- 

 factory export of para rubber seeds to other Tropical 

 Colonies. 



T. Wilson Main. 

 —Straits Agricultural Bulletin for May. 



SAN PAULO'S COFFEE SCHEME. 



How " Valorisation" is Proceeding. 

 At a meeting of theCommittee charged with the 

 management of the State of San Paulo Govern- 

 ment coti'eo, held today under the chairman- 

 ship of Baron Bruno Schroder, the following 

 statement was approved :— 



1. With reference to clause 2 of the circular dated 

 January 5, 10:)9, the Committee states that no sales of 

 coiiee have been made, that the contemplated sale of 

 Ooo.noo bags will not bo undertaken until the trade is ready- 

 to pay the price .stipulated therein, or its equivalent in 

 any of the markets, and that in no case shall the sales 

 during the current year exceed 500,000 bags. 



2. The Government has lately had under its considera- 

 tion the advisability of replacing the existing law, limi- 

 ting the export of coffee, by 



A NEW LAW CREATING AN EXTRA DUTY 

 of 10 per cent on all exports of coffee payable in 

 kind, such coffee to be destroyed under the control of the 

 Committee. This law would, in the opinion of the 

 Government, bring about the same result as the existing 

 law, but in a more satisfactory manner. The change 

 ivould appear to the Government to be most desirable, as 

 it would obviate the rush to market the crop, which 

 would undoubtedly take place under the existing law ; the 

 planter would thereby be given time properly to prepare 

 iiis coffee, tho exports would then, as in former years.be 

 spread over the whole 12 months, and the quality of the 

 coffee reported would be improved by the destruction of 

 the lowest grades. Such alteration of the law would also 

 he desirable in the inteiosts of the coffee trade, of labour, 

 and of the railway and shipping companies, and would at 

 the same time assure the stability of the exchange. 



The Government has now approached the Committee 

 officially on the suhjoct, having set forth its reasons, as 

 above, for co ming an alteration of the law, and the Com- 

 mittee, after careful consideration of all interests, is of 

 opinion that tho proposed change of the law is desirable, 

 and wiil consider the feasibility of such an alteration. 



The Fad6ra! Government of Brazil is ready to aaiiotiou 

 the proposed change In the law.— London Timet, April 28, 



