748 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
[May 2, 1904. 
acquainted with the properties of gum elastic using 
ib to waterproof their basket?, etc., and since 
about the year 1810 the attention of Europeans 
has been from time to time directed to Assam as a 
source of rubber supply. At first a spirit of reckless 
extermination of all accessible trees was in vof»ue, 
but gradually there sprantj up a desire to establish 
the rubber industry on a comaiercial footing, and 
the Government sought to conserve and extend the 
sources of supplies. Little control appears, how- 
ever, to have been had over the persons 
engaged in tapping the forest trees, and the 
collection of the rubber was carried on with 
an utter disregard to the future, valuable trees 
being destroyed wholesale or permanently dama- 
ged. The difficulties of exercising any useful su- 
pervision over the forest trees to prevent the wild 
tribesmen from following their wasteful praetices 
for gathering the rubber are ofcvious, and it soon 
became clear that the only direction likely to lead 
to permanent and practical rasults was thac of 
. cultivating rubber trees in plantations that could 
be looked after and protected in localities suitable 
as to soil and climate for this purpose. 
GOVEBNMENT CTION.— Accordingly in 1873-4 
a tiearing was made in the iorest at Charduar in 
the Darrang district some 18 miles from Tezpur. 
A number of cuttinf:,s were planted out and a 
nursery for cuttings established. Little was 
known at the time as to the best methods of propa- 
gation and cultivation, and the forest department 
had to feel their way by slow and cautious experi- 
ment. Readers must be fairly familiar with the 
Ficus Elastica inasmuch as it is often to be met with 
even at home, its bright large evergreen leaves 
making it a favourite ornamental foliage plant. 
" In its natural state the Indian rubber 
fig or caoutchouc tree," to f{\iote from an interest- 
ing article written by Mr D P Copeland in 1899, 
" starts in the forks of other tiees often 20 or 30 
feet or even more fiouj the ground, from seed con- 
tained in tlia droppings of birds that have fed on 
the rubber figs, where the seed germinates and 
the young plant remains an epiphyte for years 
until its aerial roots touch the ground ; as soon 
as this takes place the little epiphyte changrs 
rapidly into a vigorous tree throwing out numerous 
aerial roots which gradually envelope the tree on 
which it first began life and often kill it. Having 
started life so high up, it soon throws out branches 
which overtop the surrounding trees, and the 
numerous aerial roots which fall from these and 
establish connection with the ground in a few years 
enable it to dominate the forest growth around it." 
Experiments. — In practice it was found un- 
profitable ;to plant the young seedlings in 
the forks of trees and the best plan 
experience proved was to plant them on 
mounds after keeping the seedlings in stoc- 
kaded nurseries in the forest for about three 
years after geiBiination, by which time they had 
grown to a hei,t;lit of 10 or 12 feet. The young 
rubber plants aie regarded as a special delicacy by 
animals, and tke attentions of deer and wild ele- 
phants have to be warded oil' if the plantation is 
to stand any chance of establishing itself. The 
sytiem of planting on mounds to an extent thwarts 
tbf attacks of elephants and game and gives the 
ruljlier an advantage at the start. At Charduar 
Jinc-i were cut through the forest 20 feet wide and 
0 feet apart from centre to centre ; in these lines 
\feet stakes were put up 35 feet apart. Round 
H (!l?ak« a mound waa throwp up four feet high, 
\ 
The base of the mounds was about 10 feet in dia- 
ateter and tapered to four feet on the top. The 
plants were put in on top of the mounds and to 
prevent animals pulling or the wind blowing them 
down, they were tied to the stakes. This system 
of planting out strong young trees was adopted in 
1881-2 in preference to the fencing of seedlings. 
Matters were proceeding very satisfactorily when 
a sensational incident served to attract general 
attention to the rubber experiments of the Assam 
Government. I refer to the raid by the Akas, a 
tribe from the hills north of the plantation who 
sought to capture the forest officer, Mr Campbell. 
Fortunately he was absent at Tezpur. But the 
tribesmen carried off the forest ranger and the head 
clerk, and tlip expedition and disturbances that 
followed had ihe efifect of delaying the extension 
of the plantation. 
PROORESg.— It was not until 1896 that the 
work \, as again taken up with much zeal, and 
since that time the plantation has been well looked 
after and on the occasion of my visit recently 
there was every indication of an active spirit of 
development and industry being abroad. Accom- 
panied by Mr F S Barker, the forest officer, I en- 
joyed an interesting ride of some five ro six 
miles along the road that skirts the plantation. 
The trees have been planted out in some 21 com- 
partments, the more recent ones being placed in 
lines 66 feet apart or ten plants to the acre. In 
the earlier experiments the plants were put in 
too closely and it has since been found necessary 
to thin them out. Save for the characteristic 
leaves, the appearance of the rubber trees resem- 
bles that of the banyan, particularly in the matter 
of the aerial roots that they throw out. The 
various compartments having been started at 
diflf erent times, there are, of course, considerable 
var iations of size. One is at once struck by the 
curious scars that appear on the stems and 
branches of the rubber trees caused by the rubber 
tappers. 
Tapping. — Years ago rough and ready methods 
seem to have been in vogue to collect the rubber 
and the "dao" was the chief instrument used tt 
cut the bark in order that the caoutchouc migho 
exude. But careless tapping led to serious injury 
to the trees, the wounds healing slowly, and 
oftentimes causing the trees to rot and decay. 
Nowadays the tapping is done by means of V. 
shaped gouges, the stems and branches being alfr 
encircled by horizontal cuts in the bark on alterna- 
tive sides eighteen inches apart. The cut made is 
of a size that one could lay a finger in and little 
trouble is now experienced in getting the trees to 
heal as it were by first intention. The tapping is 
done as a rule by men from the Garo hills who get 
four annas a lb for collecting. 
It was a Sunday when I visited a plantation and 
the tappers were taking a holiday but I saw several 
trees on which they had recently been at work. 
To climb the trees some rising to a height of 50 or 
60 ft. could have been a task of no small difiiculty 
or danger. Curious ladders formed of roughly cut 
wood ttie steps being laced on by strips of cane were 
resting against some of the trees. On others the 
straight aerial roots were used as a centre support 
to which cross pieces of sticks were tied at intervals 
of a couple of feet or so as a foot hold to the 
tappers ascending and descending the trees. It 
was necessary to make at least two asoents, once 
