15 



Saps and Exudations. 



We are tapping that apparently dead stem every alternate day and preparing 

 biscuits from the latex. It is a very hardy tree and I would recommend putting 

 the cooly on the top part of it. Of course, the cooly can practise on jak trees until 

 he gets into the habit of feeling the wood. 



A Member :— They use an axe in the Amazon. 



Mr. Wright :— That is the native method. They don't cover the same parts 

 every day. They go to a group of trees and work that and then go to another 

 group, for three months at a time, and then go back. 



Mr. Hunt : — I do not see how we are going to be able in the future to do 

 more than work patches for six months at a time. 



Mr. Wright :— I am glad to hear you say that. People think it is going to 

 be an advantage to let their trees grow up to a huge height, but you will never be 

 able to tap above six feet when you have got 60,000 acres in bearing in Ceylon. That 

 is one of the greatest points to consider. Ten feet at the outside will be quite 

 enough. 



Mr Hunt :— That would be a stunted tree. 



Mr. Wright :— All the branches tend to grow upwards and not horizontally. 



THE MOST EVEN RENEWAL OP THE BARK. 



Mr. Jenkyns :— Which system of tapping will give the most even renewal of 

 bark without any pits or hollows ? 



Mr. Wright :— Naturally the full spiral will give the most even stem, but I 

 do not think there is such a great advantage in having an even stem except from an 

 artistic standpoint. 



Mr. Jenkyns :— For instance in the herring-bone system there must be some 

 of the original bark left and you cannot get a perfectly even bark. 



Mr. Wright :— I wound not recommend the spiral system simply because it 

 gives an even bark. ? 



Mr. Jenkyns .—But you want an even bark for the second tapping. 



Mr. Wright :— You want to get a system which allows you to cut in a 

 definite system from above downwards through all parts of the trunk. The half 

 spiral does that ; so does the herring-bone and the full spiral, but, of course, in all 

 other systems except the full spiral you are apt to get one side cut and the other 

 side not cut. 



"warty" trunks. 



Mr. Jenkyns :— I have seen old rubber trees so knotted with lumps as big 

 as your fist that you could not get any surface to cut on. 



Mr. Wright :— Once these are produced, it is difficult to do anything, 



Mr. Jenkyns :— The idea in my mind was what is the best system to avoid 



that and produce an even renewal of bark. 



Mr. Wright :— The best thing where tlie tree is knotted or warty is to leave 



it alone and tap a higher part. These knots often work themselves out. 



Mr. Harries— referring to the illustration in Mr. Wright's book of 

 Tapping on Arampola estate, Kurunegala— asked if after the Vs had been healed 

 over they could not extract more latex by pricking them ? 



Mr. Wright : — If you allow too long a period between the paring and the 

 pricking to elapse, you lose all the value- After the first cut the wound response 

 is developed and the milk flows to heal up the wound, and when you prick you cut 

 the inflated laticiferous tubes and get a larger flow. 



