Gums, Resins, 



8 



[3 ax. 1907. 



Wide Planting and Inter Crops. 



The fourth method is that of permanent wide planting, and interplanting 

 with more or less temporary intercrops. The advantages of this system are many, 

 as Para rubber trees can for several years be more or less successfully grown in 

 association with cacao, coffee, tea, camphor, etc., when widely planted. Such a 

 system provides against a slump in rubber, however unlikely such may be, and 

 is usually recommended because the admixture of trees of entirely different 

 characters serve to check the spread of diseases ; the latter has been often disputed 

 since stumps of roots of such intercrops may be left in the soil a few years. 

 Another advantage lies in the fact that the soil is more quickly covered, the 

 roots of the various plants assist in the disintegration of the soil, and the total 

 loss is, therefore, not as great as when rubber trees alone are planted ; this again 

 is open to the objection that the cultivation of the intercrops, does in the removal 

 of woody, leaf and fruit tissues, lead to considerable exhaustion. A very noticeable 

 feature on all Para rubber estates thus interplanted is the check given to the 

 growth of the weeds, and this apart from the fact that some return is obtained 

 at an early date, weighs seriously with many planters. It has been estimated 

 that the weeding on a rubber estate of only 300 acres, necessary to bring the trees 

 into bearing, is no less than Rs. 25,000, — a considerable item, especially where large 

 acreages have to be dealt with. 



But what appeals most strongly to the opponents of close planting is the 

 fact that by this system the Para rubber trees can be originally planted out at a 

 distance which will allow of permanent and undisturbed occupation by the rubber 

 trees ; as the trees increase in size, the intercrops and not the rubber trees can 

 be thinned out. 



Disadvantages. 



Though the system of widely planting rubber trees and interplanting with 

 other products has much to recommend it, and appeals to those with limited 

 capital or those who desire to adopt a system intermediate between permanent 

 close, and wide planting, it has many disadvantages. First and foremost must 

 come the objection that the introduction of any intercrop divides not only the 

 attention of the superintendent and coolies, but also the demand on the soil ; people 

 generally wish to plant rubber and nothing else, they do not care to be troubled with 

 anything but rubber trees, and they are prepared to wait for their returns from such 

 a cultivation. It cannot be doubted that there is something in these contentions. 

 What are the results which have been obtained with intercrops in widely-planted 

 rubber ? Probably the most successful combination we know of at the present time 

 is Cacao and Rubber, though tea and coffee deserve consideration. An estate planted 

 Avith rubber 20 x 20 feet and cacao 20 x 20 feet, possesses approximately 100 trees, pei 

 acre, of each kind. The interplanted cacao trees -will probably give f to 1 lb. of 

 dried cacao each during the fifth or sixth year, which, valued at an average price of 

 about 60s per cwt. means that each tree only gives, in gross returns, about ihd to 6^d 

 of produce per year ; each rubber tree may, at present prices, be expected to yield 

 about 4 to 5 shillings worth of produce at the same period- The fact that approxi- 

 mately ten cacao trees will be required to produce the equivalent of a single rubber 

 tree, leads one to question whether it is financially sound to give up such a large 

 area of soil to such an intercrop, and many have decided, on this ground alone, to 

 plant their rubber trees closer and eliminate all intercrops. 



The occupation of such a large proportion of the soil by intercrops among the 

 rubber, must lead to a certain amount of interference in root development of the 

 rubber trees, and partial soil exhaustion may be expected. Furthermore, 

 such intercrops are usually only transitionary, they do not last for very many years, 



