June 1, 1904.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 823 
rubber which was very clean and of a good 
colour. Tlie sciapa are picked out loose and the 
shreds laid on the hessian drying cloth."; when ready 
for shipment it is packed quite loose in bulk 
in tea chests, .so that a buyer can easily pick 
up a lot in his hand and examine it. Both 
this quite loose scrap and the line scrap cakes 
I saw at Heatherly looked so well that I am 
undecided as to which method is preferable ; 
in fact, I think it is merely a matter of choice, 
for I see no advantage in one method over 
the other. 
A FINE IIEVEA BRAZILIENSIS. 
Going down to see the para trees we first passed 
along the Kaluganga bank and here was a good 
acreage of planted out sttimps and nurseries 
with both rubber and albizzias. A great deal of 
this land is inundated when the river is in 
tiood ; sometimes for days during heavy monsoon 
weather. The recent breach in the saud-bank at 
Kalutara South ought to make some difference 
in these fbods, giving the river an extra and 
wide outlet for its flood waters. Strangely enough 
these periodic fioodings don't seem to have harmed 
the older heveas to any extent. There was one 
especially fine tree, which was duly photographed, 
branching into four main stems just above 
the ground, thus giving an immensely increased 
tapping area, A large number of mature trees 
were planted almost indiscriminately by coolies 
on the ground below the tea ; some of these 
seem to grow sheer out of solid rock, pro- 
bably having been originally planted in holes 
and increasing in girth each year have grown 
against the surrounding rock. These trees 8 to 
9 years old were looking fine, and one of the 
older ones measured over 5 feet in circumference 
at the base. Passing through the tea we came to 
A FINE GROVE 
planted throughout with Heveas 10 x 10 ft. All these 
trees have been tapped, and a number of coolies 
were going round tapping and placing the cups as 
we passed through. Mr Tipple is going to have this 
plantation manured, with castor cake, phosphate of 
amonia and wood ashes forked in. Going round the 
estate along the path on the hill side and looking 
down over a fine expanse of tea— which last year 
gave a yield of 800 lbs made tea per acre — we 
had a fine view of four different rubber plantations. 
The first one, about 23 acres, is planted level 
with good drains cut to carry off any surplus 
water ; on another plantation the hevea stumps 
are on mounds raised some 4 ft. with drains 
between. On all these plantations the young 
trees look well, though personally 1 did nob 
like the idea of their being subject to 
floods at intervals. 
This brief visit to some of the Kalutara estates 
has afforded me proof positive that para rubber 
will not only grow well in Ceylon and give a good 
and paying yield, but that there is 
A BIG FUTURE FOR THE INDUSTRY. 
This year alone some 1,500 acres in the Kalutara 
district are being opened up in para rubber. 
Some of these will no doubt be planted close and 
some at a greater distance so that an exact esti- 
mate of the total number of trees to be put out, 
on rubber land only, is ditiicuU. I incline to rather 
close planting from what 1 have seen. When 
the trees are in tapping condition and prove to be 
too close, the alternate rows of trees caa be cut 
101 
out or killed out by over-tapping. At lOx 10 ffc, 
apart we get just over 4,30 trees per acre, at 
15^15 ft we can plant over 190 trees per acre 
and at 20X20 ft. 109 trees goto the acre. So, taking 
the mean of 190 trees per acre, 1,50C acres will 
take 285,000 trees. 1 am aware that this is a very 
low estimate; but far better err on that side. So it 
is evident that the Ceylon rubber industry ia a 
growing one. As long as Ceylon planters maintain 
the present high standard of their rubber and 
are content to be nowhere but in the front place 
on the market the industry will llourish a(id 
prosper, and prove to be about the best product 
introduced into Ceylon since the coming of the tea. 
DIRECTOR OF AGRICULTUEE FOR THE 
FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 
MR. J. B. CARRUTHERS A LIKELY NOMINEE. 
Mr. W Turing Mackenzie, writing from 
London on March 25th, to the Pinang Gazette 
of April 19th, makes the following announce- 
ment of special interest to Ceylon : — 
" The London and China Telegraph " recently 
stated that Mr Willis was to visit the Federated 
Malay States to advise as to the appointment of 
a Director of Agriculture. From a private source 
I hear that Mr Carruthers, the Cryptogamist from 
Ceylon, is mentioned as a likely nonriuee for the 
appointment. This gentlemen has acted for three 
or four years in Ceylon with great acceptance, 
and has been of very material assistance to the 
planters in aiding them with practical advice to 
enable them to treat, modify and in the case of 
cacao, almost eradicate some of their most 
troublesome pests. 
The publication of Mr, Willis's report on 
the proposed appointment will be looked 
forward to with interest, as also the news 
of the salary to be given. 
DIMBULA FISHING CLUB.' 
The following are the minutes of a meeting held 
recently at the Agras Cricket Club Pavilion 
to consider the preservation of trout in the 
Dimbula streams : — 
Present :— Mr Payne Gallwey, Colonel Far- 
quharson, Messrs Wilson Smith, Dansmure, AL 
Scott, Grigg, Orchard, Graham Clark, Boucher 
Masefield, Kerr, and C M Buckworth. 
Mr Payne Gallwey told the meeting what he 
had done with regard to getting fish from Nuwara 
Eliya for stocking the Bopatalawoya, and that the 
rivers having been stocked no one could fish with- 
out a license from the Government. 
It was then proposed by Colonel Farquharson 
and seconded by Mr BuCKWORTH : — " that the 
meeting form itself into a local club." 
Proposed by Mr Dunsmure, and seconded by 
Mr Wilson Smith ;—•' That Mr Payne Gallwey 
be elected Chairman and Secretary of the club." 
The Chairman, on asking for a managing Com 
mittee, Messrs Wilson Stuith, Dunsmure, A L 
Scott, and Masefield were appointed. 
Proposed by Mr Masefikld and seconded by 
Mr Buckworth :— " That circulars be sent to all 
Superintendents of estates which are on the rivers 
down which fish arc likely to come, asking them for 
their kind co-operation to prevent fish being netted 
and poached by coolies and kaddy people, also that 
the Maskeliya Club be asked to kindly supply 
copy of their fishing rules, &c." 
