34 ^ 
THE TEOPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
[Nov. I, 1897. 
Special Expenditure. 
R. c. 
S.Tlary of Assistant, for one year 1,000 0 
Cooly to CHiiy letters End orOers 120 0 
Tools (cost of supply) .. 300 0 
1,420 0 
10,202 
0 
Estimated Return cif SCO Acres of Forest to 
BE 
Planted with Rubber. 
R. 
C. 
600 trees sold standing at R2 per tree 
Value of firewood and “ ritti ” after 
1,200 
0 
deducting cost of working : RIO per 
acre . . • . 
3,000 
0 
Total to credit of first year’s work . , 
4,200 
0 
The Assistant Conservator of Forests, Western 
mid .Sabaragainuwa Provinces, to the Conservator 
Forests. 
Colombo Kachcheri, 9th June, 181)7. 
Sir,— I n acknowledging receipt of the Hon. the 
Colonial Secretary’s letter to you No. 211, and here- 
with returned, I have the honour to report that in 
1890 a small plot of 15 acres was selected at a place 
called Edangoda, in the Kuruwili korale in Sabara- 
^amnwa, and planted wi'h Para rubber. The land 
W'as selected close to the Kalu-ganga, and at certain 
periods cf the year it was subject to hoods. As 
the late Dr. Trimen was of opinion that as similar 
land in its native habitrt was best suited for this 
species of rubber, I laid out my plantation in such 
a situation as would best correspond with these con- 
ditions. 
2. It was foundj however, that these periodical 
inundations were harmful, and that plants below 
Hood level were destroyed, notwithstanding much 
attention having been paid to the supplying of 
vacancies. By this loss about one-fourth of the 
Bdangoda plantation was destroyed, but of the 
remainder above high water mark I cannot speak 
too highly. The trees are in robust health, and 
form an unbroken cover of trees of some 20 feet in 
height and from 15 to 20 inches in girth at four feet 
from Ihe ground. Some 275 trees are this year it 
-fruit at the Edatigoda plantation, and 1 anticipan 
getting a crop of 30,000 seeds that will be available 
for nse during the piesent year. 
3 In 1891 the Edangoda plantation was extended 
by one acre, and at a place called Yattipowa, six 
miles from Edangoda, a second plantation of 16 acres 
was planted, and in 1892 a further addition of 21 
acres more, while as an experiment in chena soil 
5 acres of -chena land at Edangoda were planted, 
thus bringing the totT area in rubber to, siy, 58 
acres. 
4. The Yattipowa plantation is, on the whole, 
very successinl, the only exception to its general 
regularity of growth being found upon a ridge where 
the Eoil is iuftrior and the wind appears to check the 
growth. This is only a very small piece and is quite 
compensated for by the satisfactory growth of all the 
rest of the plantation. 
6. lam not so well pleased with the experi- 
ment of planting chena land, as it has shown a 
thin and weedy result in trees, but the general 
conclusion I have drawn from the ezperience gained 
is that hooded lands, wind-swept lands, sandy soils, 
and wide apart planting are equally unfavourable to 
the successful cultivation of Para rubber. 
6. 1 am not in a position to give any inform- 
ation as to yield of the trees, as it has been 
deemed inexpedient to attempt to tap auy of them, 
but for my otvn information I selected a solitary 
tree and obtained from it, from a single wound, a 
“ tear ” of pure rubber about 4 feet long and one- 
third of an inch wide, that wht n dried appeared to 
be of excellent quality. The oldest trees being 
only seven years old, I have not attempted to ex- 
periment further, but I hope to be allowed to con- 
duct a few tapping operations in order to test the 
yield per tree. — I am, <tc., Frederick Lewis, 
Assistant Conservator of Forests. 
Note.- — I wish to add that the foregoing distinctly 
applies to the Sabaragamuwa Province and that 27 
acres have been planted in 1896 in the Western 
Province and not as yet added to the area in 
rubber. 
No. 5. 
The Conservator of P''orests to the Hon. the 
Colonial Secretary. 
Office of the Conservator of Forests, Colombo, 
July 5, 1897 
Sir, — With reference to your letter No. 243 of 26th 
ultimo, 1 have the honour to inform you that on the 
3rd instant the Director of the Royal Botanic Gar- 
dens and I had a conference on the subject. 
2. The demand for Para rubber seed is now so 
enormous that Mr. Willis says if all could be sup- 
plied 100 square miles could be fully planted up. 
The supply from the Royal Botanic Gardens can only 
satisfy a very small portion of the demand, and 
even some private sellers have booked all their crops, 
cha,rgiug R*20 per 1,000 seeds. The Director there- 
fore thinks, and I agree with him, that the publica- 
tion of a notice offering seed to the public on 
payment would lead to a great deal of disappoint- 
ment. 
3. He proposes, as soon as he has completed a 
series of experiments regarding yield of tiees of 
different sizes and ages, &c,, to publish a 
bulletin in which will be included the results of our 
xepeiience as regards soil and locality. 
4. I have lately viiited the most recent rubber 
plantation in the Pasdun korale and was disappointed 
to find that some of the young plants had suffered 
from some extraordinary floods, and that as compared 
with the plantations at Edangoda and Yattipowa, 
Theinitial growth of the young plants is very slow, 
the sand, which enters largely into the compohtion 
of the soil, does not seem to favour vigorous growth. 
5. A further area of 75 acres has been cleared 
this year and will be planted up. They will yield 
further data as to the suitability of the Pasdun korael 
forests for rubber. 
6. There is little doubt that the rubber plantations 
now made, will, if successful, pay handsomely. At 
present from the sale of seed alone R200 per acre 
could be obtained. I beg therefoie for orders as to 
whether the Forest Department is to satisfy itself 
for the present with the plantations now existing 
and being planted up in the Western Province and 
Sabaragamuwa, or whether we are tj make further 
extensions in Para rubber plantations. — I am, &c., 
A. F. Broun, Conservator of Forests. 
Report of the Director, Royal Botanic Gardens, on 
Rubber Cultivation in Ceylon. 
Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya, July 28, 1897. 
The subject is one of great importance at present 
owing to the enormous increase of late years in the 
demand for rubber caused by the growth of the 
cycling trade and other industries in which rubber is 
consumed. That the price of raw rubber has not 
increased very greatly is chiefly due to the discovery 
in West Africa of a new rubber-yielding tree, KicTcxia 
Africana. It seems likely that in a few years’ time 
the reckless desuuction of wild trees will cause the 
price to rise and that rubber-planting will thus be- 
come a profitable industry. 
The trees j ieldiiig rubber are many, but 
most of them being large jungle climbers are 
nnsuited for cultivation. The chief kinds likely 
to be useful in cultivation are Ceara rubber 
{Maniliot O-laziovii), Panama inbher {Castilloa elaatica), 
Para rubber (Hevea hrasiliensis), and African or Lagos 
rubber (Kichxia Africana). 
3. The cultivation of Ceara rubber was taken up 
in Ceylon about 12 cr 14 years ago with some 
energy, but the returns were found unsatisfactory, 
though the plant grew very well indeed, and now 
there are but few trees remaining. Of Panama 
