Gumf, Resins, 



460 



[Dec 1906. 



A Rubber Tapping Demonstration at Henaratgoda. 



' * 



By Herbert Wright, 

 Held at Henaratgoda Botanic Gardeiis, September 25th, 1906. 



AN INTERESTING DAY AMONG OLD RUBBER TREES. 



Mr. Herbert Wright, Controller of the Government Experiment Station at 

 Peradeniya, delivered a lecture and gave practical demonstrations of tapping in the 

 Henaratgoda Botanic Gardens before a large gathering of Ceylon planters, Delegates 

 to the Rubber Exhibition, and visitors from the Federated Malay States, Straits and 

 South India. On arrival at the Gardens, Mr. Herbert Wright delivered a brief lecture, 

 giving the results of his experiments during the past year. He then conducted the 

 party round the gardens, and showed them the various trees from which these results 

 had been obtained, making explanatory statements, answering questions, and giving 

 practical demonstrations throughout. It is safe to say that never before in Ceylon 

 has a year's scientific work been put to so close a test and scrutiny as on this occasion ; 

 and it must be gratifying to those concerned to know that the comments of critical 

 practical planters from the Malay Peninsula and South India were highly flattering 

 — one prominent Indian visitor enthusiastically describing the day's proceedings 

 as the most interesting and pregnant with information, of a series of phenomenally 

 interesting and informing lectures and demonstrations. The visitors were much 

 impressed with the elaborate character of the experiments in progress and the 

 general excellence of the work shown on the trees. 



Among those present were : — Mrs. Ryan, Messrs. P. M, Parkinson, Reinhart 

 Freudenberg, C. K. Smithett, Hon. E. Fielding, Messrs. C. G. Devitt, James Ryan, Jas. 

 P. Dove, P. W. E. Watts, Alex. L. Baines, R. J. Booth, J. B. Tennant, D. S. Ferguson, 

 T. Jones, C. Leslie Devitt, G. A. Greig, F. G. Ballard, C M. B. Wilkins, F. W. Byrde, 

 C. W. H. Duckworth, W. L. Hutchinson, J. Cameron, R. L. Proudlock, T. P. 

 Simpson, T. B. Campbell, R. Huyshe Eliot, H. Zacharias, J. C. Forbes, A, Lehmann, 

 H. M. Devitt, E. M. Coventry, S. Brett, J. S. Patterson, Alex. Fairlie and Col. 

 Ingouville- Williams. 



THE LECTURE. 



Mr. Herbert Wright— after the party had taken their places on seats 

 arranged near the Laboratory — said : — 



Gentlemen, — You have been invited to Henaratgoda in order to see the 

 parent Para rubber trees in Ceylon, and to observe the general characteristics of a 

 small but somewhat typical Para rubber forest. As you are aware, the plants were 

 sent from Kew in August, 1876, and since that time seeds and plants have been sent 

 in thousands to almost every part of the tropics where rubber plants are likely to 

 grow. 1 know there exists a friendly controversial spirit between officials in the 

 Straits,— and perhaps now in the Federated Malay States,— and Ceylon, as to the 

 origin of the Para rubber plants in the Malay Archipelago ; but we are certain of one 

 thing, and that is, that plants were sent to the Straits from Ceylon in 1877, though 

 their ultimate fate is somewhat obscure. The climate at Heneratgoda is a little 

 warmer and more moist than that at Peradeniya, and the results obtained up-to-date 

 lead one to suggest that the Heneratgoda climate is perhaps more suitable for the 

 growth of Hevea brasiliensis. 



RANGE OP VARIABILITY. 



Before going through our series of experiments, I may perhaps be permitted 

 to make a statement which is warranted from our past experiences. Visitors to 

 Henaratgoda and the Experiment Station must clearly understand that up-to-date 

 results are given only to add to the sum total of our knowledge on the various points 

 investigated, and not as results to be expected in the future or on the average estate. 



