g 



Saps and Exudations, 



Mr. Smith :— I tried grass. 



Mr. Wright :— The gentleman referee! to had the ground under certain trees 

 turfed, and he said that if it was practicable to turf an estate it would be a very 

 good thing. There is one advantage about grass ; the root system is not as pene- 

 trating as the root system of many other plants. If you grow plants which throw 

 out their roots at such a rate and in such a manner as to interfere with the root 

 development of the rubber, then harm may be done. 



Mr. Walker :— The trees at Henaratgoda are planted through grass. They 

 are unweeded ? 



Mr. Wright :— I understand that they were attended to for the first few 

 years ; when a rubber estate is 5 years old, weeding is negligible. 



Mr. Smith :— Coconut estates have grass and cattle are put in to feed on it. 

 Why should not the same be the case in rubber ? Why not let the grass grow and 

 keep cattle ? 



Mr. Wright :— Once a rubber estate is matured you cannot grow anything 

 under the rubber. 



Mr. Smith :— The estate I am thinking of is three years old. 



Mr. Wright :— I think that encouraging cattle on rubber places is not a very 

 commendable thing. The cattle will probably do more damage than anything else. 

 At the same time the protection of the soil by any means is a consideration which 

 should not be lost sight of. I cannot say I think grass as good as some plants that 

 might be used. What I should like to see growing is some plant of low habit 

 that would give a lot of organic matter. 



Mr. Frankland :— Would the sensitive plant do ? 



Mr. Wright : — It would be beneficial, although my opinion on this question 

 of growing crops of any kind in rubber is that they must either be considered as 

 crops or green manures, or you must make up your mind to let the estate be clean 

 weeded. The former is often a difficult system to work. 



Mr. Frankland :— But for protection of the soil ? 



Mr. Wright :— On some estates, where Albizzias have been used and lopped 

 when less than two years old, you can see the two-year-old Para rubber trees 

 quite 10 feet above the level of the Albizzia plants, protecting the soil, all over 

 the place. 



"the first pinch." 

 Mr. Walker :— What height would you recommend for the first pinch of the 



plant ? 



Mr. Wright :— I think planters will be content to tap plants from the base 

 to 10 feet. I do not think they will ever want to tap to 30 feet as we have done at 

 Henaratgoda. Therefore, if they prune so as to leave a stem 10 feet from the base 

 and allow it to remain I think it will be quite sufficient. 



Mr. Walker :— Then you prune again at 15 feet ? 



Mr. Wright :— Then let the branches grow out, one on either side ; when a 

 foot-and-a-half long prune again and let the next shoots grow until they are 5 feet 

 long and make your final pruning and leave the tree to itself. 



Mr. Walker :— The branches will be very thick if you prune over 10 feet. 

 Mr. Wright :— No : I do not think so. I do not really see your objection. 



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