Gums, Resins, 



462 



[Dec. 1906. 



SINHALESE FOR TAPPING. 



There is another interesting feature in connection with our Henaratgoda 

 tapping, and that is, that the whole of the work has been done by untrained 

 Sinhalese coolies with the minimum European supervision. My visits to Henarat- 

 goda have by no means been frequent, and beyond spending a couple of hours 

 a month here, the work has been done entirely by Sinhalese villagers. I mention 

 this in order to ward off the attacks of any critical visitor from other climes, who 

 will naturally discover where the cambium has been cut only too frequently, and 

 who must therefore feel inclined to suggest my decapitation as a fit punishment 

 for the bad work done. However, you will see what can be accomplished by 

 ordinary villagers, and how willingly the cambium of the Para rubber tree has 

 tried to cover up the errors of the past. 



YIELDS OBTAINED AT HENARATGODA. 



Now I have pleasure in handing you the results obtained during our first 

 year of experiment on a moderately large scale, and it is hoped that visitors from 

 the Federated Malay States, the Straits and India will subsequently supply us with 

 their records for comparison. Consider these results as tentative only, and be 

 prepared to forget them if future work proves them to be misleading. 



Groups. Marks. 



fA 



1 |B 



10 

 fD 



(G 



3 } I 

 fL 

 I M 



A J N 



4 io 

 i p 



LW 



L S ... Long Spiral Group 1 = A, B, G 



H S ... Half Spiral „ 2 „ D, E, F, G 



,, 3 ,, H, I 



F H ... Full Herring-bone „ 4 L, M, N, O, P, W 



THE SCOPE OP THE EXPERIMENTS. 



In group number one (A, B, and G) the object has been to determine the 

 relative value of different methods of tapping, the criterion being the yield of 

 rubber per tree and per unit of excised bark. In group number two (D, to G) the 

 object was to determine the yields obtainable when trees were tapped at certain 

 intervals, varying from once per day to once per month. Group number three 

 comprises trees tapped at the beginning of October and February respectively, 

 in order to obtain some information on the relationship between the yield of rubber 

 and climatic conditions. In group number four (L, M, N, O, P, W) we have been 

 making experiments with a view to determining the yield of rubber obtainable 

 from different parts of the stem. 



At the close of the lecture Mr. James Ryan proposed a hearty vote of 

 thanks to Mr. Herbert Wright for his lecture, remarking that no one had laboured 

 more arduously in the field of rubber than Mr. Wright. 



The vote was cordially carried, 



o. of 



rees. 



No. of 



System 



Yield of 



times 



of 



dry 



rubber 



tapped. 



tapping. 



per tree. 









lb. 



oz. 



25 



91 



L S 



3 



5 



25 



93 



H S 



2 



8 



25 



92 



F H 



3 







5 



270 



L S 



11 







5 



136 



L S 



12 



8 



5 



44 



L S 



3 



13 



5 



11 



L S 







10 



5 



171 



L S 



7 



7 



5 



257 



L S 



10 



10 



1 



93 



F H 



14 



8 



2 



95 



FH 



8 



11 



2 



94 



FH 



12 



3 



2 



94 



FH 



8 



11 



1 



78 



L S 



10 



14 



2 



84 



FH 



15 







