THE TEOJE'ICA.L AGRICULTURIST. [April 1, 1904. 
iliese latter times the necessary laboratory work, 
supplementing the previeua observations at sea 
coald be done much better at Galle than at Aripu 
or Mannar. 
14. Consequently, I fecoriimend that the Marine 
Laboratory at Galle be regarded as the head- 
^quarters of the Marine Biologist's work, and that, 
in the interests both of the various li.^hing indus- 
tries and also of scientific investigation in general, 
that institution be established at once on a perma- 
nent basis with a suitable equipment. The build- 
ing ought, moreover, to be of suflicieut size to 
accommodate two or three additional zoologists, 
such as members of the staff of the Museum the 
Medical College at Colombo, or scientific visitors 
from Europe. The work of such men would help 
in the investigation of the marine fauna and in the 
elucidation of practical problems, and the labor- 
atory would soon become a credit and an attrac- 
,tion to the Colony. Such an iusiitution at Galle 
^would be known throughout the scientific world, 
and would be visited by advanced students of 
Science, and might reasonably be hoped that in 
time it would perform for the marine biology and 
the fishing industries of Ceylon very much the 
same important functions as those fulfilled by the 
celebrated Gardens and Laboratory ac Peradeniya 
for the botany and associated economic problems 
of the land. I have &c., W A HERDMAN. 
University, Liverpool, Sept. 16, 1903. 
«; 
ROBBER GROWN AT 2,700 fEBT. 
v. ' FETCHES 4/7i PER LB. 
It' will interest many of our readers to 
know that a lot of 20 lb. of Para Rubber from 
Somerset estate has just sold in London at 
4/7id. per lb. and scrap at 3/, all grown at 2,700 
est. 
. UUBBER IN THE STRAITS. 
vME. NORTH CHRISTIE SATISFIED WITH 
rj HIS VISIT. 
£ Rubber-growing is now an established 
.industry in the Straits with an ensured and 
{)rosperous future before it. The fact that 
evel-headed and far-seeing Ceylon men have 
invested in rubber estates in Selangor speaks 
volumes for the stablity of the industry. 
Mr. Nurth Christie is interested in rubber 
estates there and has just returned from a 
jnonth's visit to the Straits, where he had a 
good insight into the industry and visited 
many of the plantations. Mr. Christie 
landed at Penang and travelled by rail 
down to Selangor. From there the line has 
not yet been continued to Singapore, but 
the Government is to carry on this exten- 
sion before long. 
THE GENERAL CONDITION OF RUBBER. 
(Speaking generally of the rubber planta- 
tions in the Straits the conditions, said Mr. 
Christie, are very satisfactory, and he was 
quite pleased with what he snw. The trees 
tire doing well and prospects are good. 
VARIETIES, CtfLTIVATION AND TAPPING. 
' Two species of rubber tree a,re under cul- 
tivation. Para rubber ( Hevea) is chiefly 
grown, but some estates are partly planted 
up with Ficus Elastica, or Rambong as it 
is always called in the Straits. Numbers 
0( estates are yet under coffee which is still 
giving a good crop, but the cofiee is gra 
dually being smothered out by rubber, which 
is taking its place. At present everything 
is in a more_ or less experimental stage, 
and Straits planters are following Ceylon's 
lead, being behind Ceylon in the industry. 
Csylon knowledge oi tapping is distinctly 
ahead of theirs, and they are profiting by 
Ceylon's ideas on it. 
The rubber produced so far is almost iden- 
tical with Ceylon rubber in quality, and 
fetches about the same prices in home 
markets. Large expanses of virgin forest are 
being cleared and planted up solely with 
rubber. In this respect Mr Christie thinks 
that proper comparison of the future rubber 
industries of the Straits and Ceylon cannot 
be made, as the conditions are different. 
In Ceylon we have not the vast expanses 
of suitable land available which they have 
in the Straits. Here it is a difficult matter 
to get 1,000 acres of good land for rubber, in 
the Straits it is very easy, and there are vast 
tracts of virgin forest with splendid soil 
waiting to be cleared and planted up. 
PLANTING DISTANCES, 
The distances for placing the trees apart 
are various, but the general concensus 
of opinion is in favour of wider 
planting. " Personally," said Mr Christie, 
* the more I see the more I approve of 
wider planting. I would not plant closer 
than 20 feet by 20 feet," But the average in 
the Straits is a little closer than that. 
WHITE ANTS, BUT NO CANKER. 
No canker was to be observed on any 
of the trees on the estates visited ; but white 
ants are a pest. " Sonie damage is being 
done on many places by a variety of white 
ant that attacks the living tissues of the 
tree — the Gestroi variety of white ant. I 
have known it in Ceylon as an insigni- 
ficant tea pest for 20 odd years. , It attacks tea 
just as it does rubber, in the living 
tissues." Efforts are being made on all the 
estates to combat this pest. "But," explained 
Mr. Christie, " they suffer under the disadvan- 
tage that the life history of this ant has 
never been worked out." 
"Have they then no Government entomo- 
logist to help them in their difficulty ?' 
"No, not yet; but the Government will 
probably take steps in the matter." 
We think that Ceylon planters have to 
be congratulated in having the able assis- 
tance of Mr. Green to work out the life 
history of such insect pests and give in- 
formation and methods by which to combat 
them ; and the sooner the Sraits Govern- 
ment follow Ceylon's example in this matter, 
as in others, the better it will be for the 
planters there and Ceylon men with capital in- 
vested in the younger states. From Selangor 
Mr, North Christie proceeded to Singapore, 
spending 3 days there; he then came on to 
Colombo by French steamer. He expressed 
himself as well pleased with the his visit. 
nEt>AEt.viilNT OP AgRiciJltuee Madras pBESiDENCt. 
-^The Report of the operatious of the dep irtment 
for the year 1903-03 are to hand, and edow that 
good Work was done and satisfactory results obtained 
daring the period under cousiderntioa. 
