230 
TFE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[Oct. 1, 190S. 
In connection with this matter of the selection 
of seed adapted to paiticnliir locality ; careful 
selection of the best seed in the Annradhapura 
experiments may result in a breed of cotton specially 
suited to the soil and conditions prevailing in Ceylon 
and giving really good returns. We may be quite 
sure that the matter will receive full attention from 
Mr. MacMillan, who is determined to leave nothing 
undone to obtain the best results in Ceylon, and he 
probably has this matter of 
A. SELECT CEYLON BREED 
n view. 
The paper outlines a system of selection based on 
the principle that, while plants reproduce their 
main characters unchanged, and the stability of the 
cultivated plants and natural species depends upon 
this law of heredity, still they are not absolutely 
fixed and stable, but are very unstable and highly 
variable in minor characters. The system outlined, 
which is one that any planter can carry out on his own 
plantation, is based on the use of the seeds of only 
such plants as show the cha.r acteristios which it is 
desirable to reproduce — such as quantity of production, 
length of fibre and earliness of maturity. It is recom- 
mended that, after these plants have been carefully 
selected, the seed from the middle pickings 
of each plant be carefully gathered ; that that 
from each plant be ginned separately, in a gin that 
has been carefully cleaned so as to prevent mixture 
of unselected seed, and that the seed of each plant 
be planted separately the following year, so as to 
test its quality for the reproduction of the qualities 
desired to be perpetuated. All plants that do not 
come up to the standard are to be discarded in the 
second year, and the seed of only the very bpst are to 
be need for planting the third year. By the beginning 
of the fourth year a sufficient supply of highly-self cted 
seed for seeding a large plantation will be secured. 
The system of selection can be indefinitely continued, 
however, from year to year on a tract of ground set 
apart for that purpose, and thus the quality of the 
cotton can be kept to a high standard or constantly 
improved. 
RUBBER AS SHADE FOR COFFEE. 
An interesting account of the growing of rubber 
trees in Assam has been published by Mr. D. P Cope 
land. Deputy Conservator of Forests, Darrang Divi- 
sion. The rubber tree in question is the licus elastica 
and the information given cannot fail to be of interest 
in these days of high nrices for India rubber. The fig 
in question doe.s not produce so valuable a latex as the 
Eevea or CastiUoa, but for all that its cultivation is 
found to be profitable, and it is questionable whether 
planters in Southern India could not turn to profit the 
many varieties of i'iciss which grow on their estates. 
It is true that a note of warning has recently been 
sounded with regard to these trees as being the cause 
of one of the coffee planters' chief troubles, viz., stump 
rot. But as Mr. Graham Anderson siid in the course 
of the discussion on this subject at the recent meet- 
ing of the Soutli Mysore Planters' Association, " it 
would be a great pity if attention was diverted from 
heir propagation.' 
The Ficus elastica in its natural state starts in 
the forks of other trees, often 30 feet and more from 
the ground, and the young plant remains for years an 
epiphyte until its aerial roots touch the ground. As 
soon as this takes place the little clinging plant 
changes rap'dly into a vigorous tree, throwing out 
numerous aerial roots which gradually envelon 
the tree on which it first began life and often kill 
it out. The Ficus elastica so far will bp, recognised 
to be similar to many other varieties of the sppcies 
which are found in Bouth India to-day. The methods 
of germination in vogue in As.sam are the same as 
those practised by planters in Mysore and Ooorg 
with the Ficus glomerata, Indica^ 3fysorensis. etc., 
which they grow as shade trees for coffee. Bird 
droppings and ripe figs under the rubber trees are 
swept nn daily, as it is found that seed which has 
passed through the alimentary canal of birds germi- 
nates best. From two to three seers of pulverised 
rubber seed is then well mixed with 10 seers of 
ash and 20 seers of vegetable loam or good soil, and 
is spread evenly over a bed, whence sufficient seedlings 
should be obtained to plant out 100 acres of rubber 
70' X 35'. The seedlings remain for two years in nur- 
series in Assam and then they are planted out in 
the forest on mounds four feet high and then 
staked. In artificial planting the Ficus elastica is 
found to grow best when treated thus. It oan, how* 
ever, be propagated also from cuttings, if ripe young 
branches or shoots are used, but the trees so raised 
do not appear to throw out aerial roots to the same 
extent ; and from its aerial system will the future 
yield of rubber be eventually extracted. 
In Assam the Ficus elastica is found to grow well 
anywhere where the atmosphere is damp. The best 
natural rubber trees are met with in the forests 
at the foot of the hills, or on the hills themselves 
up to an elevation of 2,500 feet. Artificially planted 
the trees thrive equally well, on high land or low 
land, in forest land or grass land, so long as they 
are planted on a mound, and their roots when the. 
plants are still young are not exposed to the snn. 
It will thus be seen that the Ficus elastica is very 
similar in its habits and predilections to the various 
kinds of Ficus which are so popular among coffee 
planters ; and one cannot but think that the latter 
would do well to experiment with the trees they have, 
and ascertain if the latex which jfiows therefrom, it 
not as valuable as that of the Ficus elastica, is not 
at any rate worth tapping. If it is found to be of no 
value they might gradually replace their trees with 
the Assam variety if found to thrive as well, as it may 
be expected to do. If the shade trees on coffee estates 
could be made to bring in some grist to the mill they 
would go a long way towards helping the over-burdened 
planter to tide over a bad year. — Madras Mail. 
"Silvaline" : A New Textile Material.— For some 
time past trials have been made, says Handels Museum, 
with the view of prodncing from European soft woods 
a fibrous material which can be spun, and serve as a 
cheap substitute for cotton, jute, &o. One of these 
new fibrous materials. ' Silvaline ' (forest linen), was 
discovered by Had. :Kron at Golzern. It is made 
from Central European pine-trees, the material thus 
obtained being transformed into ' Silvaline ' yarn, of 
which string, ropes, belts, decorative and clothing 
stuffs, flour and corn sacks are made. Beside 
' Silvaline, ' a number of other raw stuffs, 
such as straw, alfa, bamboo, rags, baas, jute- 
refuse, &o,, can be employed under this pro- 
cess, and multifarious kinds of yarns, from the 
coarsest to the finest, can be produced from them. The 
price of a ton of ' Silvaline ' yarn fluctuates accord- 
ingly from 30 to 300 mirks. Con esponding with the 
variety of the raw stuffs and mixtures of stuffs, the 
strength of ' Silvaline ' yarn amounts to 40 up to 80 
per cent, of that of jute and cotton yarns. It is stated 
that ' Silvaline ' yarn, even if made of the worst raw 
material, is always so strong that it can be used for 
weaving purposes. ' Silvaline ' yarn can be inter- 
woven with jute, cotton, linen, wool, &o., and may, it is 
said, constitute 60 to 80 per cent, of the woven article, 
without essentially affecting its quality. Even weav- 
ings which consist entirely of 'Silvaline' are said to 
possess sufficient strength for many purposes (parti- 
cularly for serving as sacks for grain, flour, sugar, 
salt, cement, artificial manure, &o.,) and to distinguish 
themselves by their cleanliness, freedom from dust, 
and tightness. Machinery of a special construction 
is required for the purpose of the ' Silvaline ' industry, 
which is protected by patents, and which is manu- 
factured and put into working order by a Saxon firm.. 
—Chamber of Commerce Journal^ Sept, 
