September, 1911.] 



Saps and Exudations, 



were promising, and immediately we 

 began on the methods of tapping. I was 

 impressed, while listening to Mr. Ander- 

 son's paper this morning, with the idea 

 ot the necessity of varying the tapping 

 methods as the trees became larger, and 

 I have no doubt that other modifications 

 may be found very desirable when the 

 bark becomes a little thicker and the 

 trees become larger. When we started 

 in tapping, the cut was made in only 

 one direction, aud it was necessary to 

 use the upright cut in order to get a 

 sufficient area or surface of the bark, but 

 it soon became evident that when the 

 rainfall was heavy there was a high 

 pressure, and that the trees had actually 

 popped and split open. Under those 

 circumstances, it may relieve the pres- 

 sure so that the flow will not be so 

 extensive. 



The manner of cultivation of rubber 

 trees is one of the most important things 

 in the industry. Like Mr. Williamson, I 

 went over all the plantings of all the 

 companies last May, and I thiak it was 

 shortly after that I went over to Puna 

 Plantation, too, and was able to observe 

 very carefully the growth of trees with 

 cultivation and without it. It is a very 

 serious proposition on account of the 

 very rough nature of the land. It simply 

 means promptly getting rid of the weeds 

 and giving the sun a chance to get at the 

 soil. In my opinion, it is not neces- 

 sary in rubber cultivation to stir the 

 soil very much after the trees have once 

 got a start, if you keep the ground 

 clear so that the sun can get it. Any 

 statement that you may make regarding 

 the cultivation of soils in Hawaii will 

 have to be taken with some reservation, 

 as this statement will apply only to the 

 particular lands in question. In soils 

 which can be puddled, one of the prime 

 requisites in getting a crop from any- 

 thing, is to keep off the land when it is 

 too wet. In some of the districts in 

 Nahiku, it will be seen that the manager- 

 would have a very easy job, because it 

 would be raining most of the time, and 

 yet something must be done. The weeds 

 could not be annihilated because it is so 

 wet that they, after being hoed, would 

 again grow up. No plant can grow with- 

 out air any more than an animal can, 

 and if you shut out the oxygen it would 

 die in a short time, and it will show the 

 effects of the lack of oxygen very quickly. 



One of the most striking things to me 

 on looking over all the plantings aud 

 comparing them with about a year 

 before, was the great changes that had 

 taken place in the physical appearance 

 of the soil where this weed eradication 

 had been carried on. In some places the 



soil was mud and the horse went along 

 in the mire. After the weeds were 

 removed, the superficial water ran off, 

 and many of those places were actually 

 more or less dry. There was a very 

 noticeable difference, and the air was 

 going into the soil and the trees were 

 growing. 



Now, from the results that have been 

 had so far in growing rubber in Nahiku, 

 it seems to me that we may be sure that 

 a tree large enough for tapping can be 

 got inside of five years. I do not think 

 that unreasonable. Inside of three years 

 we could get them, with the best culti- 

 vation, but five years is plenty of time 

 to allow to get a plantation of good size 

 for convenient tapping. It is not possi- 

 ble by any means to get ceara without 

 cultivation. 5Tou can go about the plant- 

 ation aud see trees three years old 

 with cultivation that are larger than 

 trees five years old without cultivation 

 in similar conditions. That saving of 

 two years is, of course, of immense 

 advantage. It might mike all the 

 difference between succeeding and not 

 succeeding, keeping the stock-holders 

 encouraged and having them discour- 

 aged, and having the question of financial 

 backing trembling in the balance all 

 the time. 



Of course I have heard some expres- 

 sions of slight disappointment from 

 time to time at the results of tapping 

 experiments which have been carried on 

 here. I think we have been unduly 

 enthusiastic about the yields which we 

 are going to get, and particularly in 

 Hawaii we are always looking for too 

 large profits. But the results indicate, 

 as Mr. Anderson said this morning, very 

 clearly that a reasonable profit can be 

 obtained from the rubber trees as they 

 stand, and this is the time to settle the 

 matter, so far as we can tell now, as to 

 whether the rubber is an industry here 

 or not. If you can take trees that were 

 planted five years ago with no special 

 knowledge as to what ought to be done 

 to rubber here, starting in on an industry 

 of which there was absolutely nothing 

 known to us, and, after making some 

 mistakes, still get trees which will yield 

 a profit in five years, it seems that 

 would settle the point as to whether 

 there is a reasonable profit in carrying 

 for rubber trees, for every man whj has 

 charge of rubber work ou every plant- 

 ation is now armed with a whole arsenal 

 of information. 



The yields, as I look at them, are very 

 encouraging. We are dealiug with 

 young trees that are more or less lacking 

 in uniformity because they did not 

 receive the same line of treatment. We 



