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who have borne the burden of the finances of rubber here 
have had a very good, steady nerve all the time. When we 
stop to think that at the start nothing was known as to 
whether rubber would succeed here or not, that the expense 
of managing rubber was not understood, that it was not 
known what the yield would be, and, furthermore, the whole 
proposition of managing ceara rubber as a plantation business 
rather than wild trees, was almost entirely new, and we had 
next to no information on it at all, I say it required good busi- 
ness enterprise to start in and plant as has been done in Ha- 
waii and keep the business going. 
When we first began work on the rubber here, the first 
tapping and experiments were carried on by Mr. Smith, and 
they indicated that satisfactory yields could be obtained, that 
the trees were actuall}^ producing quantities which were prom- 
ising, and immediately we began on the methods of tapping. 
I was impressed, while listening to Mr. Anderson's paper this 
morning, with the idea of 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, and it was necessary to use the upright cut in order 
to get a sufficient area or surface of the bark, but it soon be- 
came 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. William- 
son, I went over all the plantings of all the companies last 
May, and I think 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 necessary in rubber cultivation to stir the 
soil very much after the trees have once gotten a start, if you 
keep the ground clear so that the sun can get at it. Any state- 
ment 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 anything, 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 woukl have a very easy job, because it 
would be raining most of the time, and yet something must 
