82 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Aug 1, 1900, 
THE TAPPING OF RUBBER TKEES IN 
THE CIIARDUAR RUBBER PLANTA- 
TION, ASSAM, 1899. 
In the Assam Secretariat letter No. 9 Forests — 
388R. of 23rd January 1899, tlie Chief Coratnissioner's 
sanction was given to the experimental tapping of 
the rubber trees in compartments Nos. 1 to 4 of the 
Gharduar plantations. The following report shows 
the results of the operations :— 
2 Results of Operations.~The accompanying state- 
ment gives these results: -the areas of the operat- 
ions, the numbers of trees tapped, the yield in rubl)er, 
the average yield per tree and per acre, and the 
cost of the operation. The areas include the above 
four compartments, and also the 8 acres of the Bamoni 
Hill plantation in Tezpur, the results for each being 
shown separately. 
3. In the statement attached, a distinction is made 
between — 
(a) Trees tapped, which had been previously 
untapped, or only moderately tapped. 
(h) Trees previously heavily tapped, or sup- 
pressed trees. 
The results were, from the four campartments : — 
for (a) trees "90 lb. per tree ; 
for (fi) „ -23 „ „ 
The total yield of the four compartments was 
2,947 lb. of rubber. As will be seen from the fol- 
lowing remarks, the low outturn is probably pirtly 
due to rain, which, during the operations, washed 
away a considerable proportion of the rubber before 
it was dry. The rubber was sent to London and 
sold, the results appear below. 
4. Description ef Operations.— Mr. D. P. Copeland, 
Deputy Conservator of Forests, Darrang Division, 
in his report on the operations which he conducted, 
refers to the close supervision required to prevent 
theft, and describes in detail the operations of tap- 
ping, collecting, drying, e'.c. 
In accordance with ins-tructions, the girth of the 
bole and the measurements of the crown were re- 
corded in the cases of 10 per cent, of the trees 
tapped, and these trees were labelled. 
The work of tapping and collecting the rubber, 
which commenced on 24th January, and continued 
till 31st March, was at first tried with Mikir and a 
few Garo ooolies on the daily wages usual in the 
locality — 8 annas a day. Owing to the unsettled 
weather, it was found that this system was too costly, 
the rain necessitated stoppage of operations from 
time to time, and work elsewhere had to be found 
for the tappers ; again, the coolies had no interest 
in the oatturn. After the tapping operations had 
bsen completed in compirtments No5. 1 and 2. the 
work in compartments Nos. 3 and 4 was therefore 
given out on contract, under close siipervisiou to 
prevent theft, to a Nepalese contractor at 1130 a 
maund, and to local Assamese, not so good at the 
work, at R20 a maund, the cleaning being arranged 
for separately at one anna a seer. The results in 
the yield per tree and codt of tapping and collect- 
ing were therefore better in the cases of compart- 
ments Nos. 3 and 4. It appears that the Nepalese 
are the best men foe this work. 
Position of cuts. — in compartments Nos. 1 and 2, 
treited by Mikir labour, the system adopted was to 
make the cuts regularly one foot apart down the 
stem of the tree, these cuts being horizontal, and 
not exceeding 8 inches in length and 2 inches width. 
Aerial roots and branches, less than a foot in girth, 
were not tapped. It was afterwards found that no 
fixed rule could be laid d iwn, and that the experi- 
enced Nepalese tappers make the cuts 2 feet, and 
often further, apart, and the length of the cuts 
varies with the girth of the bole. Again, they avoid 
making the cats immediately one below the other, 
and locate tljem alternately, as below : — 
The position of the cuts appears to have more 
effuct on the yield than their number. 
f J oU acting.— In compartments Nos. 3 and 4 the 
poutr^cf^r iock<3e(J the tapping, anci the work of 
pulling the rubber off the tree after coagulation. 
The rubber takes four or five days to " set " on the 
surface of the tree before it can be collected. This 
work of collecting took as long as the tapping. 
Weather. — One of the essentials for success is said 
by Mr. Copeland, to be settled weather. If rain oc- 
curs within two days of tapping, the milk is washed 
away, and the loss is heavy, while which remains 
on the stems loses part of its elasticity, becomes 
brittle and discoloured. The operations were greatly 
hindered by the frequent rain, both in outturn of 
rubber and in cost of labour, since work had to be 
stopped and employment found elsewhere for the 
labour. 
Tarrincf.—As soon as the rubber was pulled off the 
trees, the cuts were coal-tarred, 17 barrels of tar 
being used for the 322 acres. 
Cleanivg. —TJaleaa the rubber was cleaned imme- 
diately after collection, pieces of bark and chips of 
wood and other impurities imbedded in it were diffi- 
cult of removal. The work of picking out these 
foreign matters was done by contractor at one anna 
a seer, the loss in weight on the first weightments 
being about 8 per cent- 
JJri/inr/.—AUec this cleaning, the rubber was spread 
to dry— at first in the sun— but as this seemed te 
make tome of the rubber brittle and discoloured, and 
made some to melt, the system of drying in the 
shade was adopted. The loss from dryage is reported 
to be about 1 per cent. only. 
Yield.— Weighment of the rubber was made for 
each compartment separately on the spot, as soon 
as it was pulled off the trees. A reference to the 
statement will show that for compartments Nos. 1 
and 2, the yield from the trees of the (a^ class was 
0-79 lb. per tree. For compartments Nos. 3 and 4, 
however, the trees of which were tappid by skilled 
labour, the yield was 0-97 lb. per tree, or '22 8 per 
cent, more than for compartments Nos. 1 and 2. 
Mr. Copeland thinks the difference would have been 
still m -re marked, had it not been for the rain, 
which did more damage to rubber in course of col- 
lection in the last two compartments than in com- 
partmpnts Nos. 1 and 2. The yield per tree is given 
in the statement, as also the yield per acre. 
Cost of Operation. — The statement gives the cost 
of the operations of tapping the trees and collect- 
ing and cleaning the rubber, which comes to seven 
annas two pies per pound of rubber. At the foot 
of the statements, however, are given the details of 
other expenditure incurred on the operations, the 
whole being about three times the above sum per 
pound of rubber. To this it is necessary to add the 
cost of freight to London, insurance and agents' 
expen?es, as is done below. Mr. Home was present 
during p.irt of the operations. 
5. In future operations, the work should be done 
earlier in the season, so as to avoid the rains of 
February to March. 
6. The question of re-tapping the same trees next 
season and annually, as originally proposed, is under 
consideration.— iw(ita?i Forester. E. G. Chesteb. 
RUSIY NAIL WOUNDS. 
Treading on an upturned rusty nail sticking out 
of an old board is a very common accident. Children 
who are in the habit or running about barefooted 
are especially liable to such an accident, and fatal 
consequences often ensue, lockjaw and subsequent 
death being often the reult. '• Pansy " contributes 
to the Australian Farm and Home the following very 
simple remedy in such cases, which is at all events 
well worth a trial: -The remedy is simple, always 
on hand, and can be applied by anyone ; and what 
is better, it is infalliable. It is simply to smoke the 
wound, or any bruise or wound that is inflamed, 
with burning wool or woollen cloth. Twenty minutes 
in the smoke will take the pain out of the worst 
case of inflammation arising from the wound. People 
may sneer at this remedy as much as they please, 
but when they are afdicted just let them try 
Qucenslmd A^iicultwral Journal, 
