Dec. 1906.] 



443 



Saps and Exudations. 



indigenous plants capable of being regularly and largely cultivated in Ceylon are 

 very few and are typified in our cinnamon. With reasonable confidence do we 

 therefore look forward to the cultivation of species introduced from other countries, 

 and among them must now rank those from which rubber is obtainable, 



HEVBA BRASILIENSIS : FIRST RANK. 



The question as to which is the best species to adopt in cultivation is one 

 which is frequently raised, and with this we can now deal. The species which has 

 been vigorously planted in the East is Hevea brasiliensis, and in view of the present 

 importance of this species in the plantation rubber industry we might well ask, 

 have we, or have we not, selected an inferior type ? Are we, after all, on the wrong 

 track ? Are we extending this particular cultivation too much and neglecting 

 others? Thanks to the energy of all concerned, and especially to competitors in 

 this exhibition, these questions can be answered fairly satisfactorily. The 

 extension in the cultivation of Para or Hevea rubber has been steady, 

 and except for the last few years slow, and has been influenced by 

 the results obtained during twenty years of patient waiting and working; 

 we have not based our anticipations simply on a single experiment with a 

 single species, but rather on a wide knowledge of the real value of many rubber 

 producing plants. We have our Ceara rubber trees (Manihot Glaziovii) scattered 

 throughout Ceylon, from the dry hot districts of the North, East and West, to 

 the damp and cooler areas in the South ; we have had them for over twenty year 

 at altitudes varyiusr from sea-level to over 4,000 feet, and visitors from other 

 climes assure us that the growth obtained in Ceylon is as good as that in tropical 

 America. Similarly Castilloa (Castilloa elastica) has been cultivated in districts 

 with different climates, Gutta Rambong (Bicus elastica) Landolphia, and Funtumia 

 elastica are also known in Ceylon, and plants of the Sapium, Palaquium (Guttapercha 

 and Balata {Mimusops Balata) have also been tried. The literature of the tropica 

 world has enabled us to learn something about the value of Root rubbers, the 

 Guay ule (Parthenium argentatum), Urceola and several climbing and herbaceous 

 plants; our judgment is therefore not based on fanciful or passing rumours. The 

 opinion of most persons vitally concerned in the rubber industry in Ceylon is that 

 where Para rubber will grow, it can be cultivated as the mainstay of the 

 estate. (Hear, Hear.) We even hear of planters removing Gutta Rambong trees and 

 coconut palms to make room for their Hevea trees. 



CHARACTERS OF HEVEA. 



Para rubber trees grow rapidly ; they yield rubber of high quality, they have 

 proved to be very hardy, and we are convinced that they will stand ordinary 

 tapping operations to a remarkable extent. The rate of growth and present immunity 

 from pests of Hevea brasiliensis put it, in Ceylon, above Funtumia; its yield places 

 it on an equal or even higher plane than the best Castilloas from Panama or Mexico, 

 and its hardy characteristics and response to the extensive use of the ordinary tapping 

 knife render it superior to Ceara and other rubbers. Each species of rubber tree 

 may thrive in particular districts, and when we can give more time to them, better 

 results may be obtained in Ceylon -with other kinds, but the verdict to-day is that 

 Para rubber, as far as we cau judge, holds its own in every way — in growth, hardi- 

 ness, and yielding capacity. The confidence in this species is not confined to the 

 Indo-Malayau region, but has spread to many islands and territories throughout the 

 tropical zone; Africa, or at least the West Coast of that vast continent— with its 

 numerous rubber-yieldiug indigenous plants will take as many seeds of Hevea 

 brasiliensis as we can give, because it has been found to be superior to others native 

 in that area, and even this year thousands of seeds, for plaiiuing purposes, have been 

 sent to Brazil, the country whence all our rubber seeds were obtained in 1870 

 (Applause). We have the assurance of a visitor with African experience, that Hevea 

 brasiliensis beats most of the rubbers with which he is acquainted, and many persons. 



