92 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [Aug. 1, 1899. 
tree" as Col. ByrcTe rather contemptuously 
called it) being put out on Craigie Lea then 
being opened for coffee as the pioneer estate 
of Dimbula Felix in the early "sixties." Poor 
Smith — 15 years afterwards when cinchona 
was booming and Nanvioya netted more than 
10s a tree for some hundreds of mature 
trees cut down — used to say that his partners 
had thrown away £37,500, realizable by taking 
half of the 150,000 plants as coming to matu- 
rity at 10s a tree ! No single proprietor in 
Ceylon, we fear, ever realized as much as a 
few thousands of pounds sterling from cin- 
chona, although we got up to a shipment of 15 
million lb. of bark in one year. 
To return to Rubber : we may mention 
that we attempted some months ago to 
get an approximate idea of the ex- 
tent to which the various kinds of rubber 
were cultivated on estates. First, we wished 
to see how far "Ceara" rubber, which was 
the earliest to be boomed, had been continued 
in cultivation ; but our responses were but 
few ; for, in most cases, the Ceara had been 
rooted out as inimical to cacao, or to give 
place to tea. We may quote a few illus- 
trations : here, for instance, is a report from 
Crystal Hill estate, Matale :— 
What kinds of Rubber are now growing ? Three 
Ceara trees only remain out of several hundreds 
planted in 1878. A few hundreds of CastlUoa 
were planted in October 1897 along with coconuts 
and are doing well. 
Approximate age of oldest, Ceara 20 years. 
Size of largest trees— circumference, height 
(actual or approximate), Ceara circumference 2 
feet 4 inches, height about 30 feet. 
Result of tapping, Nil. 
Injuries or otherwise to plants underneath or 
near to the Cacao ? UnderneatJi the Ceara gave 
little or no crop. Wild pigs tliat had been attracted 
by the yam-like roots of the Ceara began to eat 
the Cacao pods, and the Cearas had therefore to 
be destroved. 
IJoing to the other end of the country in 
Madulsima, from an estate where there were 
30 acres of rubber growing in 1886, the fol- 
lowing was our latest report : — 
What kinds of Rubber are now growing?— 
Ceara. Approximate age of oldest? About 18 
years. Size of largest trees— circumference, height 
(actual or approximate. ?) About 50 feet high, 4^ 
feet below lowest branch, 5 feet at the ground^ 
branched out about 15 feet from ground. 
There is only aVjout one acre of rubber trees 
On estate now. Spread about. The rest have 
been cut out. 1 can't say what damage they 
would do to any other plants as they are near none. 
Next from a Hantane estate that had ten 
acres of Ceara in 188(5, we are told it was all 
rooted out and there are no rubber trees 
growing now. Again, the well-known Kande- 
newera estate, Matale, had 6,000 Ceara trees 
a dozen years ago ; but Mr. Gordon replied 
in answer to our circular some months ago : — '■ 
The Ceara rubber trees on 'this estate have all 
been cut out, some of the largest were tapped 
four years ago experimentally, but the yield of 
rubber was very poor and watery. Certainly no 
success commercially. As shade trees to either 
Cacao or Cardamoms tliey are harmful, and being 
greedy feeders are undesirable cultivations with 
mixed pi-oducts. 
Sanquhar estate, Gampola, has still 80 Ceara 
rubber trees growing alongside a road, but 
we have no particulars as to size. On 
lIurst])icrpoint in the Galle district, of 
D|0(K) (Jeara trees in 1886, there are still 
a few left about 17 years old, 30 to 40 
feet high and H to 2 feet in circumference. 
Of reports on other Rubbers, we have a few 
to present. The Manager of Daisy Valley, 
Kurunegala, has put out a good deal of 
Para rubber from seed got in the Peradeniya 
Gardens. From Mr. P. D. Clark, Manager 
of Rasagalla. Balangoda we have a satis- 
factory report as to Para, showmg, appa- 
rently, how much wider is the sphere for 
its successful growth, than Mr. Willis has 
conceived, when he confined it to the low- 
country between Kalutara and Ratnapura : — 
What kind of Rubbers are now growing ? Para 
rubber, Hevea Braziliensis, about 3.5,000 very 
promising trees. Cultivation to be extended. 
Approximate age of oldest, two years. Size of 
largest trees — circumference, height (actual or 
approximate,) 18 feet high, expected to tap from 
8-10 year judging from present growth. Injuries 
or otherwise to plants underneath or near to? 
Ajjparently not injurious to tea. 
Mr. CoiTie was good enough, some months 
ago, to report from Gikiyanakanda in the 
Kalutara district as follows ; — 
What kinds of Rubber are now growing ? Para 
and Castilloa. Approximate age of oldest, six 
years. Size of largest trees — circumference, height 
(actual or approximate,) 9 inclies diameter, 3 
feet from bottom, hsight say 30 feet. Injuries 
or otherwise to plants underneath or near to ? All 
our Rubber but a new clearing just planted is 
growing through tea. No damage to tea at present. 
There are a few Ceara trees growing about 
15 years old, but we do not tap them, not con- 
sidering it worth while as the yield at this 
variety is so small. 
From Mr. J. A. Storey, on Igalkanda estate. 
Elpitiya, we learn of Para rubber trees, six 
years old, doing well, the size being given as 
follows :— 
Largest measured 33^ inches circumference at 
one yard from ground, several others over 30 
inches. Height (approximate,) 35 feet. 
And then we have what Major Gordon 
Reeves wrote to us .at the time of our cir- 
cular in regard to Wiharegama, which, of 
course, must be modified l)y his more recent 
infoi'mation : — 
What kinds of Rubber are now growing ? Ceara 
Para, (Castilloa, Approximate age of oldest, Ceara 
about 15 years. Para 5-6 years, Castilloa 8-10 
7/ears. Size of largest trees — circumference, height 
(actual or approximate.) Ceara, no measurement 
taken, Para circumference 2 feet to 2 feet 6 
inches, height say 30 feet. Castilloa cir. 2 feet 
6 inch to 3 feet, height say 25 feet. Result of 
tapping ? In tapping experiments now being made 
(will report) with Para and Castilloa, but 7iot with 
Ceara. Injuries or otherwise to plants under- 
neath or near to Para rubber trees planted over 
nine acres of Cacao as shade. No injury appa- 
rent ; on the contrary forms good shade at 20 
to 25 feet apart. I proposed to plant as shade 
over a large extent of Cacao field. 
So far three kinds of Rubber — Para, Castilloa 
and Ceara — have been mentioned. On a little 
estate in the Kelaui Valley, there were, 12 
years ago, some 500 specimens (creepers) of 
the East African rubber-yielding plant, Lan- 
dolphia Kirkii, equal to four years' growth 
then, and kept as show stems and to see 
if they would seed. Unfortunately, these cree- 
pers no longer exist and this is the explana- 
tion offered by the proprietor, Mr. James 
Gibson : — 
I regret that during my absence in India 1887 
and 1888, that the man in charge cut out all 
the Landolphia Kirkii trees from Pleasure Ground 
