SSPT. 1, 1902.] THE TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. 
Th«r« hai not b««n noifortaity of practice a.a to 
(h* diatanc* betw(«a stakes or treea. Some have 
planted »b far aa 20 feet apart, while others advocate 6 
or 6 feet, the trees to be tinned ont by excessive bleed- 
ing when they may be found too close together to grow 
fast. Opinion seema to be fixing on 10 feet as the best 
distance for a permanent plantation. Land measure 
here is in manzanas of 100 varas square* — that is to 
aay, an area of 10,000 yards or 320 square yards more 
than 2 acres. The namber of trees, therefore, which 
may be planted 10 feet apart each way on a manzana 
is 900, No farther attempt is made at logging or 
clearing away the remains of the forest. Decay is 
extremely rapid. The laud is not plowed or caltirated 
in any way, except by repeatedly cutting down the 
weeds and vegetation , so as to allow the foliage of the 
young rubber to be completely exposed to the agency 
of the tun. 
The trees planted in 1891 are now three years old, 
and their growth has been enormona. A large number 
of trees grown from the seed planted in Jane, 18i>el, 
measured in August. 1900, on an average, 17^ inches 
in circumference. A few of these treea measured in 
July, 1901, shew an increased diameter of from 1 to 
H inches. All the treea here spoken of are probably 
above the average of the whole. As to the average 
■izA of all the trees of the same age on a large area, 
it ia enough to say that where there has been no 
difference of soil or attention, they have a regular 
and even appearence. A few planters believe that 
treea carefully grown and cared for will be large 
enough to bleed safely and profitably at five years of 
age. At all events, it is now established that the 
rubber trees can be grown to a large size in a few 
years. 
It still remains for experience to prove the yield of 
(be cultivated tree. That (he bark of the tree is full 
of milk from the time it is capped by half a desen 
leaves ia beyond question, and why it should not 
^ield as well as the wild tree, neither science nor 
ingenuity can suggest. A few months, or a year at 
most will settle the question in this locality. 
As to coat, opinions naturally differ. It may be 
•aaerted aafely that a careful planter; working a 
large area, may bring his trees to five years for 60 
eents each, taking account of land, administration, 
labour, buildings, and equipment. The chief difiiculty 
in the way of the foreigner planting rubber in this 
country is likely to be bis inability to realize the need 
and cost of cleaning. This inability may lose him 
bis first year's outlay. He may abo stumble in try 
ing to do too much. All the first planters suCered 
heavy loss, because they were unable to find seed, 
for love or money, to plant the laud they had 
prepared. The young cultivated trees are now seed 
bearing, and in this locality there is now, in (his 
respect to trouble. 
In 1898, £200,000 would not have availed to plant 
successfully QOO acres. Minor troubles \ which may 
become major, if one's, temper be not seiene) are 
the labour question and the deposition to leisure, 
which affects all natives. 
WABNINO TO INTENBINO RUBBER PLANTERS, 
Sane and modest planting enterprises promise well 
but a weather eyes should be kept on stock jobbers, 
who have out prospeotusea for the development of 
large tracts of forest lind, on which wild rubber 
treea of great value are said to be growing. 
This warning is based only on knowledge of thie 
coast, aud it is not pretended to make it apply 
beyond, though it would not be bad judgement to 
conclude that similar conditions prevail all over 
Central America. 
The bleeding of rubber began here in l855. From 
the mountains to the Atlantic tbere existed vaat 
numbers of rubber trees. A man could go out in the 
morning aud come back at night with 100 lb. of rubber. 
The wealth and commerce of the coast was built up 
on rubber ; but the rubber tree was practically destroy r-d 
by the ignorant and greedy fanlero. ComparatiTt;ly 
■)^eakiQg, bat a few scpttered treea sbrvive. These 
are hidden m the deptks ef an almost iupaitabl* 
forest. However valuable they might be, if accessible, 
neither skill nor money could make them an impor- 
tant asset of a rubber company. 
To prepare the land upon which they grow for rubber 
planting and save these trees is practically Impossible 
The trees are pretty f ure to be torn down by the felling 
of others, or burned in the clearing fire. It may be 
added, in support of this estimate of wild trees, that 
the huleros, or rubber cutters, preferred to work in 
the camps of the rubber planters for about £2 if, pet 
month than to seek vast wealth in the forest — India' 
Rubber arid Gutta-Pereha Trades' Journal. 
CARDAMOM CULTIVATION IN 
OOORG. 
A correspondent writes to the Madrat Hail : — The 
familiar cardamom of commerce ia the prodace of a 
plant which is botanically known at Elettaria 
Cardamomtim, and is indigenous to the hilly parts of 
Cochin China, Travancore, Malabar, Coorg, Manjera- 
bad and Nngur. It ^rows abundantly, both wild 
and under cultivation, in the moist shady mountain 
forests of North Canara, Coorg, and Wynaad, at an 
elevation of from 2 580 to 5,000 feet above sea level. 
It is found truly wild in Canara, and in the Aaamall, 
Cochin aud Travancore forests. On the lower range 
of the Pulney hills, near Dindigul, at an elevation 
of 5,000 feet above the sea, it is systematically cul- 
tivated in the shade. There ia elso a small Carda- 
mom Island in the Laccadive group of atolls. The 
lant grows as a spontaneous seedling in woode of 
igh land, the cultivation consisting merely of 
clearing the ground from trees. Prnctification 
occurs in the fourth year as a rule, after which 
the plant produces fruit for five or six years. A 
rich moist soil in a bracing hill climate, within 
reach of sea breezes and favoured by deep shade 
and partial sunshine, is most congenial to the plant, 
while it attains perfection in a light layer of vege- 
table mould, resting on decayed primary rock. In 
the vicinity of streams and in localities subject to 
mists and fogs it also thrives remarkably well. 
Its cultivation by the natives of Coorg presenli 
several interesting features. The people firmly believe 
that the plant will only grow in places where the 
ground has been shaken and opened up by the fall 
of large trees. In February or March, the culti- 
vators proceed to the forest and map out the 
boundaries of gardens. Having selected some Urge 
trees for felling, all the undergrowth near (hem is 
promptly cleared away. A platform is erected near 
the foot of the tree selected to be cat down. All 
this hat to be accomplished in a day. The follow- 
ing morning the felling begins, and is completed 
by noon — for to prolong the work further ia con. 
sidered unlucky. Several gardens are thus prepared, 
with spaces of jungle between each of them. Within 
three months of the felling, or during the first mon- 
soon rains, the young plants shoot up on all sides, 
chiefly round the stems of the fallen trees. By (he 
second year they are two feet high. Now regular 
weeding operations are carried out. Each pUnt is 
allowed six feet of clear ground aronud it, (he 
weaklings being removed. Early in the third year 
long shoots bearing the cardamom pods shoot forth 
from the giouud. They are mai-ked with beautiful 
pale white solitary fiowers. The fruit is an ovate 
triangular three-celled three-valved capsule of a dirty 
yellow colour, enclosing numerous angular seeds, 
which form the valuable part of the plant, and which, 
if bruised, yield a pungent aromatic taste. 
By September or October of the third year, the 
capsules ripen, and the first erop is gathered, a portion 
of it fceing offered to the deity. The next year a full 
harvest is collected, and then the plants go on yielding 
for about six or seven years. After this, they begin 
to wv^ken down, when targe trevs «re fefled 19 
