Nov. I 1897.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
349 
rubber there is but little in Ceylon, and seed is only 
obtainable in extremely small quantities. The new 
Lagos rubber has only been introduced in the last 
two years, and the proper mode of cultivation and 
most suitable soil have yet to be discovered. The 
only rubber of importance at the moment is the Para 
kind, and the rest of this report refers only to it. 
4. Para rubber was introduced into Ceylon in 
1876, when the young plants obtained from Brazil 
at the expense of the Indian Government were 
planted in the Henaratgoda Garden, These are 
now very fine trees with an average height of 60 ft. 
and average girth (at 6 ft, above ground) of 4 ft., 
and from their seed other plantations have been 
made in the Botanic Garden and also by the Forest 
Department. A large number of seeds have been sold 
to private planters since 1886. The tree produces only 
a few seeds, the seeds are large and only retain their 
vitality for a very short time, and thus it is difficult 
to obtain seed from or send seed to distant countries. 
The crop produced by the trees (about 450) in the 
Botanic Garden is now about 75,000 seeds a year. 
5. It is very difficult to obtain exact informa- 
tion, but I estimate the number of trees on private 
estates in Ceylon to be between 200,000 and 250,000, 
of various ages from one to ten years. This number 
represents an area of about 750 acres. 
6. The present year has seen a sudden increase 
in the demand for seed. Hitherto the crop pro- 
duced in the Botanic Garden has sufficed for almost 
all demands, but the applications for seed in 1897 
have been numerous, and I could easily sell 30 or 40 
times as much seed as is obtained from the trees 
in the gardens. The trees belonging to the Forest 
Department are only expected to yield 30,000 seeds 
this year, an insignificant quantity when compared 
with the demand. 
7. The practice of this Department at present is 
to book seeds for delivery when ripe, in quantities 
of not more than 3,000 for one person, in the order 
in which applications are received. The price asked 
is E5 per 1,000. A much larger price con'd now be 
obtained : private planters are obtaining R20 per 1,000 
seeds this year. 
8. The present system of supplying seed is open 
to the serious objection that as 3,000 seeds are only 
enough to plant four or five acres, a planter really 
wishing to take up the cultiyation on a large scale 
cannot do so within a reasonable number of years. 
It is desirable that greater encouragement should be 
given to planters to engcvge in this cultivation on a 
considerable scale, and that one man should be able 
to get as many a s 40,000 or more seeds in one year 
This would take nearly all the crop and would ex- 
pose the Government to accusations of favouritism, 
which might be avoided if the seed were sold 
in large quantities hy auction or by invitation of 
competing tenders. This method would also prob- 
ably increase the revenue derived from the sale of 
these seeds. An undertaking should be required from 
purchasers to the effect that the plants shall receive 
proper attention and cultivation on areas of land 
devoted to the one crop only. 
9. The area of land suitable for this cultivation 
is not very large. The plant for complete success 
requires fairly flat land at about sea level, with good 
soil, not subject to frequent floods and to heavy 
winds, and w’ith a uniform wet climate. Only in 
parts of the low-lying south-western region of Ceylon 
are these conditions found. On the other hand, the 
cultivation of rubber need not interfere with that 
of coconuts, as it does not do well in sandy soil or 
near the sea, and it should thus form an addi- 
tional cultivation in the Colony rather than replace 
any of those already existing bv using up the land 
occupied by them. 
10. Opinions are at present much divided upon the 
question whether this cuhivation will pa.y. The wild 
sources of rubber are at present far from exhausted, but 
they are becoming every year more and more difficult 
of access, and the cost of transport increases the price 
of the rubber. 
11. The answ'er to this question really rests upon 
the amount of rubber that may be expected to be 
yielded by the trees when at a suitable age for tap- 
ping (say about ten years old). The accounts given by 
those who have observed the harvesting in Brazil vary 
greatly : many mention extraordinary amounts, but 
neglected the fact that such excessive tapping usually 
causes the death of the trees. Almost the only reliable 
observations are those made in the Henaratgoda 
Gardens. The late Dr. Trimen tapped one of the 
original (1876) trees every other year from 1888 to 1896. 
The result shorved that from tenth year onwards a 
yield of about 1| lb. per tree per year might be 
obtained. These trees being planted 30 feet apart 
the yield per acre would therefore be about 75 lb. of 
dry rubber a year. This is not sufficient to pay well. 
It would, however, be absurd to draw definite conclu- 
sions from experiments on one tree only. I have there- 
fore commenced an extensive series of experiments in 
tapping, &o., upon a plantation of 11 year-old trees at 
Henaratgoda. These experiments are now in pro- 
gress, and their results will be published from time to 
time. At present I can only mention this one fact, 
that the aveiage yield so far of an 11-year-old tree is 
about 6 ounces a year, the trees being 12 feet apart. 
This represents an annual yield of 112 lb. per acre, 
which should pay fairly well. It is probable that the 
trees will be found to yield more than this without 
injury, but as yeti do not feel justfled in making any 
definite statement upon this point. The price of good 
Para rubber in London is now from 2s. fid. to 3s. 6d, 
a pound, so that a yield of 112 lb. represents a value in 
London of about £15 or £16. Considering the small 
labour cost of rubber, this should be enough to yield 
a good return upon the outlay. 
My recommendations upon the question of rubber 
cultivation in Ceylon at the present time are as 
follows : — 
(a) There being such a demand for seed by pri- 
vate individuals, I should recommend that the seed 
produced in the Botanic Gardens be sold as here- 
tofore to such individuals, but in larger quantities, 
either by auction or by competing tenders. 
(5) That the seed produced in the current year 
by the trees in the Government plantations under 
charge of the Forest Department should be used in 
planting the land which I understand to be already 
available for purposes of extension of those planta- 
tions, and that it be subsequently decided whether 
the seed of 1898 and following years be sold to the 
public or used in further extension of the Govern- 
ment plantations. 
(c) That no fuither public atteniion be drawn to 
the question until afier the seeding time for this 
year is past, when a bulletin should be issued from 
this Department dealing with the whole question of 
cuhivation, yield, cost, A’c. 
(d) That in the course of the next year or two 
experiments in tapping on a large scale should be 
made upon the trees in the Government plantations, 
so as to ascertain, more accurately than can be done 
with the few trees in the Botanic Gardens, the yield 
of a plantation, the cost of collectic n and transport, 
and the price obtainable for the product. 
John C. Willis, Director. 
RUBBER PLANTATIONS IN SUMATRA. 
Numerous India-rubber trees are growing on the 
east coast of Sumatra in a wild state, and the natives 
have collected large quantities of rubber, to the great 
damage of the rubber-trees, which have become 
debilitated and in some cases extinct. Within the 
past few years wealthy Holland companies have created 
rubber plantations and in the Kassan district a not 
unimportant market in Sumatra rubber may be ex- 
pected in the near future. An idea may be had of the 
remunerativeness of such plantations when it is guaran- 
teed by the directors cf the companies that 100,000 
rubber trees will clear annually, above all expenses, 
from 600,000 to 600,000 maiks. The editor of the 
Gummi-Zeitung, in which we find this note, expresses 
very grave doubts of such figures being realized. — India, 
liuhher TForld. 
