Ai^RiL 1, 1S99.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
699 
TEA IN JAVA. 
We have received a series of statistical 
tables bearing ou the impoi'tation and sale 
of Java and other teas in Holland. In the 
fii'st place, we are told that last year .5,287,230 
half-kilogrammes of Java tea were sold at 
an average of y2.| cents of a guilder (2s) per 
half-kilogramme. This is equal to 5,828,114 
lb. avoirdupois and An average of 7f d per lb. 
As regards deliveries in 1898, the figures are 
70,572 chests with 8,569 chests in stock at 
end of 3'eiar. Of China tea the delivrries were 
2,705 chests ; stocks 1,979 chests. Of British 
India and C'evlon tea there were only 13 chests 
delivered and 15 in stock. It is a great mattei-, 
howevei', that Java tea should be so fully 
absorbed in the Netherlands and the adja- 
cent division of West Germany. No tea 
from Java should come to the London 
market with so good a field to exploit, as that 
eastward of Amsterdam and Rotterciani, 
INDIA-RUBBER : 
NOTES ON THE EXPERIMENTAL 
TAPPING OF liUBBER-TRRES 
IN THE CHAKDUAK PLAN- 
TATION, ASSAM. 
Experiments in tapping 21 selected trees in 
compartments two and three of the Cliarduar 
rubber plantation during the years 1896-97, and 
1897-98 the results of which are shown in detail 
in Appendix VI of the Assam Forest Report for 
1897-98. !j,;iv(' a yield of 2i seers in 1890-97, and 
of 21 seeis in 1897-98. The trees experimented 
one have been liglitly tapped, and show no signs 
whatever of having suffered in any way ; there 
appears to me, therefore, to be no reason to 
suppose that other trees in the plantation of 
similar age, the oldest experimented ou being 
over 20 years and the youngest 17 years, would 
be damaged if subjected to similar light tappings. 
The compartments that contain trees not less 
than 17 years of age, that is, in which vacancies 
were finally filled up over 17 years ago, are 
Nos. 1, 2, 3, find 4. These compartments cover 
318 acres, and contain 5,221 trees, a« ascertained 
by actual counting; of these alternate trees (say, 
2,600) were over-tapped for three successive vears 
in 1889, 1890, and 1891, with a view to killing 
them out, as the trees had been planted too close 
together to admit of proper development of their 
crowns, on which the full gro\\ th of a tree depends. 
It was found, however, that no amount of tapping 
affected the continued growth of the tree, and 
the opening out of the roots showed that all the 
trees in these compartments had become fairly 
anastomosed, or, in other words, that the plan- 
tation had become practically one huge tree. 
The question now for consideration is whether 
the systemat'c lijjht tapping of all the trees i:i the 
compartments Nos. I, 2. 3, and 1 should he car- 
ried out eveiT year, under the personal snpjrvi- 
xion of the Divisional l'"orest Ollloor and his Di- 
visional Forest stair as an experiment, and with 
the view to (lovernmunt's obtaining some pre- 
sent return for the exi)euditure incurred in form- 
ing the plantation. This exiMMulitiire from 1873- 
71, whi-n work on the plantation conuneiiced, u)) 
to ;i')th .lnni> 189-^, aino lilts to ]U,()7.ti27, or H7.")-8 
per ncv tor the 2, 21S acres i i,:!*^ luul heeu planted 
uj> to that d*te, including 518 acres that were 
disforested in 1896-97 for ten cultivation. 
The present value, taking it to be the cost de 
Total cost incurred up to ."^Otli Ji t> 
June 1898 i a-t 
Bechivi- 1,67,627 
Value to be recovered for rubber- 
trees on 518 (sic.) acres disforrested 
fl.xed by the Government of India at 
per acre ou 482-87 acres actuallv 
establislied ... "28 8,30 
Expenditure that may be writteu ' ' " 
off as incurred on the experimental 
stage I.e., on learning liow to plant 
rubber successfully, taken to be 
> ™P ^° :^'^°f ^ Partl.v up to 
1882-83, up to which ye.irs almost all 
previous plants had to be replaced.. 34 000 
bales of rubber, seed, and seed ' 
lings, 1897-98 ... ^q^q 
— 33,882 
Balance 
1,13,745 
T "^^000^'™° 'T*'*^-^ °* plantation existina- on SOfh 
June 1898, equa s K07 per acre. With tlfeexueri 
ence gained, it is estimated tliat future extension* 
^v lU cost a maximum of R IO per acre ^ -^-*-"^'0n* 
Tapping lightly all the trees in compartments 
AOS. 1 to 4, luc ud na- the 2 600 flvif- ,> „ ^ 
tempted to kill out and tlie -^1 that havp 1.1''' 
perimeutally tapped during each of'^the ast 
taJp^dS— Z^t^ 
annually an average of 1 seer per tree 65 0 
1 wo thousand six hundred and twentv- 
one tapped trees at i seer per tree ,. 39 30 
Total 97 
say, 8,0001b., the cost of colleecting which will be 
8 annas per lb., or B4,000. ""ii-u v\ lu oe 
The value in Loudon of the snmiUoc i. ii. 
the plantation tappings in 1896 97^ A,, n"*,^^,,"' 
Reporter .u Ecouomif Products to thP r^^n" 
ment of India, was 2s 8d per lb Tl.l 
the value of samples (i^ sLi^s) sent to fhftP°ffi ""^ 
Sc^eiv^^d^^'* '^^^'^^^ 1807-l8,^rs°n?t1efbrn- 
wJSa?i.?oS>aS^^s "^'X^^^^S; 
planted about the coolie lines of D kor. ''7''^ 
some 17 to 20 vears aao and h -fvp , V7f V ^n, 
after, having Xeen ^ kCt'rom IhL to Umfbv 
the cooues. These trees were light y tanned hi 
toppers supplied by the DepiUy C^n.serva?or of 
rorestb% Darrang Division, and rubhei was shinn^' 
to Loudon early in 1898. smppea 
Rubber obtained by tkpping , 1 1, 
Rubber sold in Loiidon - 
Consigned in London to Messrs. " " 
George Williamson and Company • 
realised in Loudon on 170 lb at 3s' 
Cost of tapping ... mn 
Freight to Calcutta, Rl per maund 
iVeight, Calcutta to London, and ~ ^ 
other charges £2-2-0 (say; 3 amiaa 
per lb. on 1801b. ... ° y,, ^ 
124 8 
Profit 
or R2-6-0 per tree. • '^^ ^ 
From the above data statistics it m.iy be 
>ber 
the 
i rom t le aOove data and statistics it mav b 
a.ssum.,.d th.U, talcing the s.ile value of the ri l.be 
m Lo.ulon at 2s. 8d. per lb. as reported b th 
Reporter on Economic Products, the iuu.„ci. 
