Tilt TROPICAL 
AGRICULTURIST. [Oct. 1. 1898. 
Having started life so high np, it soon throws 
out branches which overtop the Kurroandiiii^ trees, 
and the numerous aerial roots, vvhioh fall from thr-.Fje 
and establish connection with the ground, in a few 
years enable it to dominate the forest growth 
around it. 
Sued. — 3. The seed of this tree is contained in 
fig-shaped fruit, about 75 seeds being found in oijb 
good sound fig. The fruit first begins to form on 
the trees in March and ripens from May onward 
to December. On some trees the whole crop rivena 
and falls off by June, but, as a rule, the rubber 
tree has fruit on it from April right up to December, 
the figs forming, ripening and falling off, the whole 
of the raiics. 
After collection the figs have to be carefully dried 
and mixed with pounded charcoal, which preserves 
the seed for several months. 
Seed beds. — 4. In the Charduar rubber plantation 
nursery, for a seed bed 4(J'x3.i', two to three seers 
of pulverized rubber seed, 10 seers ash and 20 seers 
of vegetable loam or good soil, is well mixed in a 
half cask and spread evenlv over the bed, and then 
lightly stamped down and watered. Such a bed 
should yield, with good gt^rmiimu'jn, 2,000 seedlings 
and should be sufficient for putting out 100 acres 
of rubber planted 70' x 35'. The beds must be 
well-raised and drained, the soil being prepared in 
the same way as for vegetable or flower seed. If 
sown in boxes, these should be put under the eaves 
of a house; if in bed?, light removable shades must 
be put up to keep off the direct rays of the sun. 
The shades should be removed during rainy or 
cloudy weather and at night. Light sandy loam is 
most suitable for seed beds; if the soil is stiff, 
charcoal dust should be mixed with it to make it 
porous and prevent caking. The bed or boxes must 
never be allowed to get dry. 
Sowing. — 5. This should be done exactly in the 
same way as for vegetable or flower seed which 
requires transplanting after germination. The figs 
are broken between the hand. As the seed is very 
minute, the particles of the fruit are left with the 
seed and sown with it, no attempt being made to 
clean or separate the pulverized tigs. lu order to 
distribute these minute seeds evenly over the seed 
beds, or boxes, a certain quantity of ash and soil 
is mixed with them. 
Germination. — G. Germination takes place from 
the end of April to the end of the rains. Seed sown 
between October and January, requires I'aily watei'- 
ing and screening from the sun, and will not ger- 
minate before the end of April or the beginning of 
May, but seed sown any time during the rains will 
germinate in a few days (from five days to a fort- 
night). It follows that the best time for sowing 
seed is during the rains — that is from June to 
September. 
The embryo appears on the germination of the 
seed as a seedling having a pair of opposite cotyledons 
with an entire margin destitute of incisions or 
appendage of any kind, with the exception of the 
notched or emarginate apex, oval in general outline, 
green in colour and of a glassy smoothness. The 
second pair of leaves shows a tendency to the al- 
ternate arrangement on the stem but appears at 
the same time. Their shape and venation are very 
different from those of the primary leaves for they 
have a central midrib and a distinctly coarsely- 
crenated margin. The third pair of leaves do not 
appear simultaneously, and are distinctly alternate, 
with a, marked reddish colour: after this the plant 
is easily recognized 
Peicking out. — 7. When the seedlings are one to 
two inches high in the seed beds or boxes, they 
should be transplanted into nursery beds, and put 
out in lines about a foot from each other, The 
nursery beds should be well-raised and drained, but 
the soil need not be so carefully prepared as for the 
seed beds. Here the plants are kept till the fol- 
lowing rains, when they are dug up and taken to 
stockaded nurseries in the forest, and put out 5x5' 
on raised well-drained beds, where they remain for 
two years till they are required for planting operations. 
PoiiEST NUitRr uTics. — 8. Almost every animal will 
cat ti,e vo ' I's; it ic, therefore, im- 
possible t' ]! seealings in the foreat, 
owing to ii . by the wild elephants and 
game, unless eiich iudividuil plant ia carefully 
fenced in. As this is too costly, and the rubber 
after it is ' • la bright is very hardy and can 
be transpl ordinary care, at any time of 
the year (i:; me iu Assam is between May 
and July), the fceediiugs are kept in stockaded nur- 
series iu the for<-8t where planting operations are 
to t iko place, ;ind remain there till they are 10 
or 12 fi i-t h gh, that is, about three years after 
germina tion, when they are dug out anti the roots 
are cut back IS iuLbe? light around the plant and 
planted on the monnda iu the fore«tB. 
Planti.sg OPKR.4TI0KS.— a. lu artificial planting it 
is found that the rubber prows best on mounds, 
Lines are cut through the forest 20 feet wide and 70 
feet apart from centre to centre ; in these Imes 16 
feet stakes are put np 35 feet apart. Round each 
stake a mound is thrown up four feet high. The 
base of the mound is about ten feet in diameter 
and they taper to four feet on the top ; ou this 
mound the rubber tree is planted, care being taken 
that the roots are carefully spread out before they 
are covered up with earth. To prevent animals 
pulling the plants and wind blowing them down, 
they are tied to the stakes. 
CuTTiSGs.— 10. The rubber tree can readily be 
propagated from the cuttings, if only perfectly ripe 
young branches or i-hoota are used, but the tree 
raised from cuttings does not appear to throw oat 
aerial roots, and, as the future yield of the tree 
probably depends on its aerial root system, it is 
questionable whether trees raised from cuttings 
ought to be used except where required only as 
shade givers, such as in an avenue. In the Cbardnar 
rubber plantation, propagation by cuttings was given 
up very early, that is about 1876, the plantation 
having been commenced in 1873. 
The best time to take cuttings is May and June. 
Gener.vl. — 11. The rubber grows equally well on 
high land or low laud, iu forest land or grass land, 
so long as it is planted on a mouud and its roots 
are not exposed to the sun. It it a surface feeder, 
but, as i^oou as its roots appt-ar above ground, 
they must be cover.'d with fresh earth until such 
time as the tree h.vs formed a safiisient leaf canopy 
to protect itself.— (Adsam Forest fieport 1696-97).— 
Indian Forester. 
PLANTING IN SELANGOR : LIBERIAN 
COFFEE— COFFEE CURING— 
RAMIE-RUBBER— COCO. 
NUTS-PADI. 
The year 1897 was not a prosperous period for the 
Euiopoan owners of coffee estates. The price of 
Liberian coffee, which stood at $31-50 a pLkul in 
January, 181)7, declined so low as 5.22-50 a pikul, 
rendering it almost impossible for those planters with 
estates in bearing to put their produce upon the 
market except at a loss. Notwithstanding this ad- 
verse outlook, however, the estate owners have con- 
tinued to extend their clearings, and the area under 
cultivation was very considerably increased during 
the year. There is now coffee in Selangor of all 
ages up to fifteen years old under the management 
ot European planters. The appearance of the plants, 
of whatever growth, is almost uniformly flourishing, 
■svhether ou the low lands of the coast districts or 
the more elevated situations in the inland divisions. 
Many additional acres come into bearing every year, 
the amount of produce increases in proportion, and 
nothing but a more favourable market appears to 
be now wanting to ensure a fortunate future for the 
estates of Selangor. 
Allusion was made in the last Annual Eeport to 
the existence of a small coffee curing eatablishment 
