Ill 



Saps and Exudations. 



that, in his opinion, a limitation of the vertical growth of the stem will secure 

 a larger area of tappable bark from a thicker stem than will be got by allow- 

 ing the tree to grow unmolested. I leave it to Mr. Wright— who is well able 

 to defend himself —to produce his evidence, merely remarking that all botanical 

 and horticultural evidence is in his favour. 



Now for Mr. Golledge :— He says he (in 1904) tapped two 10-12 year old 

 rubber trees at a height of 15 feet from the ground, their diameter being 34 

 inches at 3 feet. He is disappointed at the result — and naturally so. His com- 

 plaint is that there was a loss in growth of stem of 3j inches, and that latex 

 is diminished or non-existent. What else could he expect? To take a tree of 

 such age and subject it to such drastic treatment, may be interesting as showing 

 what mal-treatment Hevea will stand; but it cannot stand as an example of 

 scientific dwarfing or judgmatic pollarding. N.B. — Mr. Golledge has not said 

 how many feet he cut away, nor hoiv many lateral brandies he left. Pollarding 

 or disbudding must be done early, and at least four (or better six) branches must be 

 left below the saw-cut, or the disbudded terminal bud. It does not matter at 

 what the height this disbudding (or pollarding) is done, so long as sufficient 

 lateral branches are left to carry on the life of the tree and enough bark area 

 is left to tap on subsequently. 



If there are not four to six branches below the level of 12 to 15 feet — (which- 

 ever is determined on) — then you must go higher till you get the required 

 number, and pollard or disbud at even 20 feet. This last will probably be out- 

 side the zone of practical work. You must mould, not force, your tree in the 

 right direction by encouraging lateral growth and discouraging vertical. It will 

 not do to let a bare pole throw out buds, thus making a pollard willow-like 

 mass of vertical tAvigs flourish on a broomstick stem. Still less will it do to let 

 the same thing occur later, by leaving a few (say 4 to 6) spindly lateral 

 branches and then letting a broom-head of verticals shoot up above them 

 to suck the strength out of them in the line of least resistance. Every vertical 

 shoot must be removed by a second, third or fourth operation until the vertical 

 habit is 7iipped in the bud — literally as well as figuratively. 



N.B.— Shoots should be taken off before they are as thick as the thumb 

 —earlier, if possible. 



Mr. Golledge is lucky— his are the rubbers on a hundred hills. Let him 

 give this scheme a fair trial and no favour, and I think he will, in after days, 

 bless Mr. Herbert Wright, and 



POLLARD RUBBER. 



P.S. — Mr. Golledge seems to think Mr. Wright wants to cut a rubber 

 tree in half or to thumb-nail prune it, making the tree grow laterals against the 

 vertical influence of ascending sap. This, I am sure, is not Mr. Wright's idea 

 at all. Pol. R. 



January 16th, 1905. 



III. 



Nbboda, Jan. 20th. 

 Dear Sir,— Is it necessary to ask you to dismiss any idea of antagonism ? 

 I have not condemned "pollarding" finally; only said that present results do 

 not warrant the pollarding being urged on planters, as the article referred to 

 by me implies. We require more time for experiment work and results. That 

 the big tree now being pollarded at Henaratgoda is as an experiment was per- 



