May 1, 1901.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
761 
allowed to find their way into tlie picker's basket, 
and becomintj njixed up with the tea during manu- 
facture, which frequently leads to less competition 
among buyers, and should be guarded against. 
Tlie number of "cheesy" lots has again con- 
siderably decreased, due possibly to more thorough 
final firing, and also to tlie extended use of jjatent 
packages (especially of those lined with thick lead) 
of which sueii a large poi tion now arrive. Partly 
due to weak wood, but more often to carelessness 
in loading on board the steiiraers, damaged pack- 
ages have given much trouble recently, involving 
loss in weight and r.ecessitating an allowance to 
buyers. Some economy iias been elleeted by slight 
reductions in warehouse charges, and also by the 
adoption of an improved system of weighing by 
the Customs. 
THE OLDEST RUBBER PLANTATION.* 
In the Indian Forester (vol. xxiv., p. 160),_ I 
presented some facts in relation to the oldest India- 
rubber plantation in the world, which is located 
on the Pamanukan-Tjiassem estate, in the 
Residence Krawang, in Java. At that time I 
wrote that the plantation came into existence in 
the year 1872, basing my information on personal 
conversation with the owner of the estate, but the 
opinion of the present chief overseer, Herr van 
Henkelom. seems to be that the plantation dates 
from the year 1564. 
The young plants of Ficus elastica were obtained 
from tlie adjacent forests, by cuttings of branches, 
or by marcotting the uncultivated trees, an 
operation to which the inhabitants of Java fre- 
quently resort. The before-mentioned rubber 
trees are especially adapted to the process of 
marcotting. All that is necessary is the removal 
of a strip of barkf centimetre wide, and to bandage 
the wounil with earth. Afte'- about fifty days 
roots will appear through all sides of this ball, 
which can then be cut oti'. It is advisable before 
planting these young plants, which are about 
h metre in height, to place them, or rather nurse 
them, in rich, well-shaded soil for a period of 
about fifty days, in order to heal the cut 
thoroughly. 
It is my opinion that the original cost of this 
plantation on the Tjiassem estate was not very 
much, because the Ficus elastica was planted 
about 8i yards apart each way, or 72 to the acre, 
within co'ffee plantations which were no longer 
productive, and required not much cultivation. I 
estimate the cost of the plantation at about .$7 per 
acre. Altogether 723 acres, embracing 5,200 trees, 
were planted. 
The first tapi)i; 
ng was done 
in 1886, 
and the 
following figures 
will give tlie 
details :— 
Average 
Years, 
Pounds, ounces per 
Value. 
tree. 
1886 
5,512 
17 
$2,880 
1887 
4,S54 
15 
2,592 
1883 
1,514 
4 
792 
1890 
.?,307 
10 
1,728 
1891 
6,113 
18 
1,858 
1892 
5,992 
18 
1,259 
1895 
3,197 
10 
1,973 
1696 
3,113 
10 
1,561 
1897 
6,731 
21 
3,648 
1898 
6,731 
21 
4,213 
Total.. 
47,1G4 
$22,474 
* This letter 
is reproduce 
id from 
The India 
Huhher World. 
Tappings could not be made in every year. la 
thirteen years (in three of which the trees were not 
tapped) a total of 47,164 pounds was harvested, 
an average of 3,628 pounds per year, or 10 ounces 
per tree per year. During the four years 1895-98, 
the average was 4,94,3 pounds, or 15 ounces per 
tree. The yield per acre, therefore, from 1886 to 
1898, averages 50 pounds, and from 1895 to 1898, 
68 pounds. 
The figures given above, by the way, in the 
column headed "Value," must be understood as 
referring to the income to the planter after 
deducting all expenses, not only of harvesting the 
crop, but also the initial expenses and the yearly 
expense for care of the plantation. From the 
information supplied to me in regard to the prices 
obtained for the rubber, I should infer that the 
yearly expense for the last four years covered by 
the table had amounted to an average of t?12 per 
acre per year. 
An analysis of the figures above given will show 
an average yearly nett profit of §39-30 i)er acre, the 
figures for 1898 showing a profit per acre of §58. 
With respect to the possible yield from Ficus 
elastica, it may be mentioned that Herr Mulder, 
in Sudimara (West Java), obtained in 1897 from 
three trees 48 kilograms, and 20 months later from 
the same trees 45 kilograms. This is respectively 
per tree 35J pounds and 33 pounds. 
A. H. Berkhout, 
Late Conservator of Java Forests, 
Wageringen, Holland. 
— Indiayi Forester for April. 
TEA REFORM. 
(To the Editor of the Home and Colonial Mail.) 
_ Sir, — What I would suggest is that the Tea Asso- 
ciations of India and Ceylon be organised on more 
camprehensive lines— that all tea proprietors, 
whether public companies or private concerns, and 
their agents, become members of one or other of 
those associations ; that suitable persons from 
among them be elected and appointed to act as 
a general committee, to whom questions relating 
to the tea industry should be referred, and upoa 
their report on any important question being sub- 
mitted, a joint meeting of members of both asso- 
ciations be convened for the purpose of approving 
or of modifying, if necessary, such recommenda- 
tion, and when finally approved and accepted thab 
decision to be loyally observed by all ' members. 
At present these associations appear to repre- 
sent only a portion of the tea proprietors of India 
and Ceylon. To maj^e them really effective every 
producer should be a member. At present their 
views and recommendations, however sound and 
excellent, are merely an expression of opinion, 
which has not the weight and force of authority 
as of an association representing the whole body 
of tea producers. This is not as it should be. 
Reform is also much needed in other directions. 
A great deal of complaint is heard of the general 
low class of teas manufactured during the past few 
years. It is a strange coincidence that with theintro- 
duction of machinery quality generally has fallen 
in the same ratio. In this connection I do not 
lay the blame on the adoption of machinery, bub 
on the practice of working up a coarser class of 
leaf by machinery than could be done by hand, 
in order to increase output. 
The Use of Fertilisers. — In Indian plantations 
very little is done in the way of applying ferti- 
lisers to tea plants. The consequence is thdt 
