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Caoutchouc Trees. — Para Rubber {Revea hrctsiliensis). The Forest Department has planR I 
land at Edangoda, in Sabaragamuwa, with 9,000 seeds supplied from Henaratgoda at the end d I 
August. They germinated freely, but I understand that some of the land being subsequent; I 
flooded, many of the young seedlings were drowned. To supply these vacancies I prepared I 
October several thousand “ stumps ” (the seeding time being past), but these, though applied fo I 
were never fetched away. A very small commencement has thus at length been effected in tl , I 
cultivation by Government of this valuable tree, but it is to be hoped that it will be more vigorous] i I 
carried onwai’d, and that a very much larger area will be devoted to it, as on a large scale it mu : I 
prove highly remunerative. le I 
That the yield of rubber is improving as our trees get older, is evidenced by a furtln^' I 
experiment made at Henaratgoda during the past year by the conductor. The tree selected was tf*^ | 
same one as was tapped in 1888, the results of which were recorded in my report for that year. Tl^^ I 
is now 1.3 years old, and its stem gii’ths 4 ft. 11 in. at a yard above ground. It was tapped on l^o | 
days : on 7 in .January and February, on 6 in July and August, and on 4 in November and Decenec 
ber. The method followed was to smooth the surface by scraping oJff a little of the outer bark toay 
height easily reached, and then to make, with a | in. chisel, numerous V-shaped incisions. I h I 
the foot of the trunk cocoanut cups were fastened with clay, and the milk conducted into them 
little ridges of clay. Most of the milk, however, dried on the tree in tears. The tapping was dor!)^, 
in the afternoon and the rubber collected in the moiuiing. ^ ' 
From this tree (which yielded nearly 2 lb. in 1888) we obtained this year 2 lb. 10 oz. of goc ^ 
dry rubber, partly in sheet but mostly in tears. The tree appears none the worse for the operatioito' 
and I consider the result very encoiu’aging. The whole cost of collection was under a rupee, and ( 
course in operating on a large number of trees in a plantation this would be very greatly reducei 22 
Our largest tree of Hevea is now 5 ft. 9# in. in circumference at a yard from the ground. 
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Ceara Rubber (2Ianihot Glaziovii). — Interest in this plant has of late years very much die 
away, the yield of inibber having been found too small to satisfy the planter’s expectations. Thusiva] 
have made no report on it since 1884. There are, however, considerable plantations on some estate 
and now that the trees are older it is found to be profitable to harvest the product. Several shipes 
ments have been made to London during the past year, and have realised very good prices. Of court 
the quantities have not been large : one shipment of 4 cwt. fetched Is. 8|fZ. to Is. 9|(7. per lb. n#®® 
showing a ])rofit here of about 37 cents (of a inipee) per lb. A planter estimates the cost ( 
collection at about 36 cents per lb., and reckons that trees of eight years old afford at least 3 o; 
whilst some ten years old gave half a pound. The collection is done in a somewhat primitive waiest 
during the dry season, January to March. After the outer flaky layers of bark have been peeleien 
off, the inner bark is pricked copiously ; the tears of rubber which exude are allowed to dry of^lio 
the tree and are picked off, the resulting product being quite like the “ Ceara Scrap ” of commerc^^^^J 
but in smaller tears. 
The present opinion of planters seems to be that this kind of rubber “ pays to harvest, bi 
not to cultivate,” and they are prepared to destroy their trees to get the crop. Biit even on sue ^ 
a system (which has been also largely followed here with cinchona) extensive areas of bad soil coull^q^ 
sui’ely be profitably occupied with this tree, so grown as to provide a crop annually ready for tappingcre 
Of other caoutchouc trees I have nothing particular to report. Castilloa does not answonly 
expectations as to growth ; our largest tree now girths only 3 ft. 6^ in. 
Gutta, Percha Trees. — One of our trees of Payena Leerii flowered for the first time i: 
December at Peradeniya, and finally settled any doubt still felt as to the correct determination Cery 
the “ Gutta Sundek ” of Perak. There is a good figure of this species in Dr. Burck’s paper oand 
Gutta Percha in the “ Annales” of the Buitenzorg Garden, vol. V. The trees of this at Henaratgoduer 
are now 2.5 ft. high, and nearly a foot in circumference. pixe 
Geonhier (Unca)'ia Gamhier). — A Wardian case containing nineteen plants of this was receive' flie 
from Singapore at the end of May; five were dead on arrival. Of the rest, three were planted oi^ d 
at Peradeniya, where they have all gradually died, and eleven sent to Henaratgoda, where ther’ted 
seemed a better chance of their surviving. At the end of the year there remained six plants liviin 
of which five are healthy, and likely to do well. The acquisition of this interesting plant is thus 
last accomplished. It is however clearly very fastidious and difficult to propagate, but it ought tocal 
succeed in our hottest and wettest districts. Natux’ally an extensive climber, it is in cultivatio) 
kept down by cutting so as to form a low bush of 5 or 6 ft. A good account of this production 
will be found in the Kew “ Bulletin ” for October, 1889. and 
Guhehs ( Piper Cuhebet). — I am unable to report any further progress in my endeavours t 
obtain this plant, which still remains a desideratum. Recently a Java planter has been advertisin; 
plants for sale, but I am not aware whether any have been received in Ceylon from him. 
