Dec. 1, 1903.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 388 
CULTIVATION or CEAHA. 
The seeds have so hard a coat that if not filed 
they do not germinate in a reasonable time. The 
caruncle end is filed ou either side with a rasp. 
The seeds may hs sown in a nursery or at stake. 
They germinate in about twenty days. They are 
planted out at distances of about 15 feet by 15 feet ; 
sometimes the tree has been employed as shade 
for cacao or other crops, but it has not proved very 
satisfactory for this purpose. The tree also grows 
readily from cuttings about a foot long. 
The Ceara Province has a gravelly or sandy soil, 
and a climate rather like that of the Badalla District 
in Ceylon in the matter of rainy seasons. The 
tree grows luxuriantly in most of the lower hill 
districts in Ceylon, up to about 3,000 feet above sea 
level. It also thrives when properly started in the 
dry regions of thp north and east. The tree reaches 
its fall height rapidly ; it rarely grows much above 
40 feet high, but continues to branch out and grow 
in thickness. It drops its leaves in the dry weather. 
TAPPING CEAEA. 
Mr. Cross, in his original report mentions that 
in Brazil the trees are tapped when they reach 
a diameter of about 5 inches, i.e., at about 
two to three years old, judging by the growth 
in Ceylon. "The collector takes with him a stout 
knife and a handful of twigs to serve as a broom. 
A.rriving at a tree, any loose stones or dust are 
swept from the ground around the base, and sojne 
large leaves are laid down to receive the droppings 
of mlk which trickle down. Some do not go to the 
trouble for which reason the milk adheres to 
sand, dust, deciyed leaves, and other impurities. 
The outer surface of the bark of the trunk is pared 
sliced off to a height of 4 or 5 feet. The milk 
then exudes and runs down in many tortuous courses 
some of it ultimately falling on the ground. Afted 
several days the jaioe becomes dry and solid, an 
iathen pulled off in strings and rolled up in balls 
or put in bags in loose masses. Only a thin paring 
should be taken off, just deep enough to reach the 
milk vessels; but this is not always attened to." 
A latter account, by Mf. Bitfen (Kew Bulletin, 1898 
p. 14), states that "the rubber is exported in three 
forms : — {a) la pale yellow-brown threads, J inch in 
diameter and several inches in length, obtained by 
peeling off the thin layer of old bark and making 
a slight incision with a narrow-bladed axe. A small 
quantity of latex flows and coagulates on the trunk, 
(i) In small flat cakes prepared by tapping the base 
of the tree and allowing the latex to flow on the 
ground and coagulate there. Hence tne rubber con- 
tains large quantities of dirt on its lower surface, 
which is removed to a certain extent by rubbing in 
coarse-meshed sieves, (c) By smoking with the 
vapour from the burning nuts of a palm, in a similar 
manner to Para rubber. So prepared, it contains a 
large quantity of water, which partially sweats out 
on exposure to the heat of the sun. The exudation 
on evaporation leaves a brown resinous substance. 
This last method is becomicg very general. To 
collect the latex small tin cnpa are used ; each tree 
is tapped eighty days, divided by an interval of 
about three months iuto two periods of forty each, 
under this system the tree is said to live for fifteen 
to twenty years. The tapping is always done in 
the dry season, from July to December. 
AVEEAGE YIELD. 
The average yield per tree is from i to 1^ kilos 
(1 to 3 lb.) per year ; coagulation may be effected 
by churning or by the addition of an excess of water 
or salt solution. In the former case the rubber 
particles, which are unprotected by any film (aa the 
fat particlea of milk are), simply adhere to form a 
mass. la the case of the addition of excess of 
water, salt, or smoking, coagulation is brought about 
by means of the globulin present. This coagulates at 
74—76° C. or on dilution, &c., and tangles up the 
rubber particles in its meshes, much as white of 
egg gathers up particles in suspension when used 
for clearing jellies." 
Jhe first important trial in Ceylon was made at 
Peradeniya in dry weather at the end of April, 1882, 
when the trees were five years old. The dry bark was 
peeled cff, and sloping cuts were made with a knife. 
The milk mostly dried on the sfem, and was palled off 
and rolled into balls, but some fell ^on the ground 
and became mixed with sand, and was also more 
sticky than the rest. The milk was found to flow 
most freely in the early morning. 
RUBBER CULTIVATION IN THE 
F. M. S. 
Mr. E. V. Carey, ex-Chairman of the United Planters 
Association, F. M.S., writes from Klang, Selangor 
oa Nov. 12th with regard to the interview which 
the Ceylon Observer, of Oct. 28th, published with 
Messrs. Parry and Tunnicliffe, two F.M.S. planters 
who recently passed through Colombo, in the course 
of which both these gentlemen " apparently gave the 
paper in question some interesting information on 
what we all recognise to be an interesting snbject 
in Ceylon as well as over here, namely rubber 
planting " :— Had they confined themselves to ad- 
mitted fact."), instead of disporting themselves on 
controversial ground, I do not suppose anyone would 
have grudged them the experience of being taken 
seriously. But unfortunately they seem to have 
allowed tliemselves to be carried away by the subtle 
deference of their interviewer, and to have made 
statements which render it necessary, in the interests 
of this country and of the rubber enterprise in it 
for others, perhaps better known snd with far longer 
planting experience than themselves, to enter the 
arena with them to protest against their assertions. 
In particular I take exception to the statement 
that " up-country " or hilly estates are far preferable 
to the Klaug alluvial for the cultivation of Para 
rubber. I do not suggest that investors in Ceylon 
have made a mistake in associating themselves with 
Mr, Wickwar's recent flotation, or that to be successful 
Para Rubber must be grown in alluvial land, but 
to contend that the up-country rubber estates are 
better than those in the coast districts is the veriest 
moonshine. Nothing is to be gained by these invidious 
comparisons, and I therefore refrain from expressing 
the opinion that the reverse of whet Messrs. Parry 
and Tunnicliffe have said is the case, nor do I wish 
to quote any statistics bearing on the question at 
all. It is generally believed that rubber in this 
country is going to be a very good thing, in almost 
any locality. Why then before we have done more 
than a little experimental tapping, publish conjectures 
on the snbject which only tend to divert capital 
from one quarter to another, and to cause possible 
uneasiness to those who in reality may have least 
cause for alarm ? It is an unfortunate feature of 
Messrs. Parry and Tunnicliffe'a pronounced distaste 
for Klang land that such rubber interests as they 
possess are confined to " up-country " estates, and 
whilst I do not assert that this consideration caused 
them to depreciate the value of Para rubber on 
the alluvial, still the fact discounts to no small 
degree whatever value their opinions might other- 
wise possess. It will be understood that no such 
suggestion of possible bias can be alleged against 
me when I say that by far my biggest intewst in 
rubber (Para) is my "up-country" estate of 200 
acres which I confidently expect to do very well 
for me. 
Then again there is no justification for the 
statement that " the minimum distance advocated 
by the States planters is 20 by 20 feet." Many 
of us have very decided ideas on the subject, but 
we do not Icnoio so much even as you in Ceylon 
about it, for the simple reason that so little tapping 
