Gums, Resins, 10 



THE QUESTION OF WIND. 



Mr. C. D. Hunt :— How does the question of wind enter into the argument ? 

 If you increase the foliage of the tree, it is liable to be blown over. 



Mr. Wright :— Do you think a properly established rubber tree would be 

 easily blown over ? 



Mr. 0. D. Hunt :— I have seen a good many. 



Mr. Wright :— A good many Para trees have been blown over, but that was 

 not due to wind alone- On one estate, I believe, about 200 went down in a day, but that 

 was due to diseases affecting the roots. The manager did not know what was wrong 

 until he pushed one of the erect trees, and down it went. However, that is an 

 interesting question as to the effect of wind raised by Mr. Hunt. 



Mr. Hunt :— We do not, of course, admit we have wind here. (Laughter.) 



Mr. Wright :— Would you consider that the increased foliage would tend 

 to make the tree liable to be blown down on an average estate ? 



Mr. Hunt :— I have seen young trees blown over, and especially young trees 

 grown in paddy lands. They seem not to be able to grow down as fast as they do 

 above. 



Mr. Wright :— The Para rubber tree has a well-developed and magnificent 

 system of lateral roots and also a long tap root. I should say that if a well-deve- 

 loped Para rubber tree on good soil could be blown over many strong trees of other 

 kinds might be blown over. 



root disease. 

 Mr. Hunt :— Does this root disease not affect tea ? 



Mr. Wright :— Of course that is a thing for Mr. Petch to reply to. It 

 behaves to a certain extent in the same way and the treatment is somewhat similar. 

 In the one case it is usually due to Rosselinia and in the other to a fungus called 

 Fomes semitostus — a different fungus altogether. Mr. Petch can give you some 

 interesting information on that point. 



Mr. Hunt was understood to say that he had seen rubber planted among 

 tea become absolutely black and die from disease beginning at the top. The rubber 

 was five years old. The tea was perfectly healthy, but the rubber tree was dead. 



Mr. Wright :— If it died from a disease beginning at the top, the cause may 

 be different from root disease. 



Mr. Hunt :— Well, if you scraped away the earth, you would find a lot of 

 greasy matter about the roots. 



Mr. Wright :— In root disease the decay would tend to be from below 

 upwards. 



Mr. Hunt :— The tree was practically dead all the way up. There were some 

 good branches 10 feet high, but over that the main branches had lost the leaves and 

 branches too. 



THE PERIODICITY OP THE PLANT. 



Mr. Smith :— Have you noticed in your travels that on some places the trees 

 are flowering now ? 



Mr. Wright : — On estates which have been tapped rather severely the 

 periodicity of the plant is all upside down. I mean to say there is a tremendous 

 variation. On some estates you will find the trees just putting on their new foliage, 

 on others the trees are leafless, and others have not shed their leaves ; you will find 

 flowers on those which have recently regained new foliage. 



Mr. Smith :— I have seen a tree in flower with ripe seed. Does that not 

 mean death ? 



