the teopical agriculturist. 
547 
Eeb. r, 1898.] 
some heavy rock slips here and there in the future, 
but let us hope that precious lives may be spared. 
This railway will probably be much used, and 
probably Coonoor and Ooty will _ soon 
grow in importance. With such a magnificent 
climate, and charming scenery there can be no 
doubt that these two places will become _ very im- 
portant in a short time. Coonor is about 
the elevation of our Nuwara Eliya, and Ooty 
is a 1,000 feet higher. Already rents arc 
rising very high, and land which Mr. , 
could have bought at R20 an acre when he came 
here first, can’t now be bought at E2, 000. Mr. J. 
G. Gregson has just secured a large bungalow 
here called “The Lodge” as a home for 
sionaries during the hot season. The bungalow has 
good bedroom accommodation, and extensive 
grounds with pretty nooks under shady trees, 
and commands a most magnificent and exten- 
sive view. Mr. Gregson and his family will 
reside in a smaller bungalow during the hot 
seasons of the three years’ Travancore work. ^ 
I have just tasted, at Mr. Thomas Stanes 
bungalow, Springfield, some delicious strawberries 
gathered this morning from his garden. Mr. 
Stanes tells me that the Tea here, though of 
good quality, yields only about half the amount 
of leaf yielded in Ceylon, or about 250 lb. an 
acre. Coffee seems to do well. 
Me expect to stay here till Thursday morning, 
when we are to go on to Ooty till the 
following Monday. Then probably we shall de- 
scend to Coimbatore. 
CEARA ROBBER. 
The Madras Government has recently issued 
a resolution on the experimental cultivation of 
Ceara rubber in the Malabar district. The 
experiments have not been very encouraging but 
the Government is of opinion that the matter 
should be kept in mind and that it should be 
considered whether the cultivation cannot be 
improved. The following are the reports winch 
form the subject of the Resolution t — _ , . , . 
Report by M. B. By. V. S. Guruuatha Filial, Act- 
ing District Forest Officer, South Malabar, datea 
Nilambur, ethFebriiary 1897. . 
‘In January 1895 one hundred Ceara rubber trres 
were tapped in Iravallikavu both morning and evening, 
each tree was tapped six times, t.e , twice a day for 
three days and 10 lb. of rubber was collected which 
•was valued at la 6d to Is 9d per lb. in England. 
' In the latter end of December 1896, 309 trees were 
tapped and 21 lb. of rubber collected; the largest 
tree tapped, Le. 8 feet 9 inches in girth gave 8 oz. of 
solid rubber and the smallest, i.e. 3J inches in girth 
gave l-8th of- an oz. ; on an average 1 oz. per tree was 
collected.’ ^ Method of Tapping.— A few trees were 
tapped by making incisions on the trunk of various 
shapes and little cups made from leaves were P'nned 
underneath to receive the milk, but it was found that 
no milk could be collected in this way. The milk 
trickling down the stem from the incisions was after 
three days peeled off in long strips which gave a 
few grains of rubber per tree, but the pbber was 
of good quality, t.e. clean and very elastic and free 
from disagreeable odour.’ ‘ The other trees were 
tapped as follows the large roots near the surface 
were laid bare, and incisions IJ to 1 inch long and 
i an inch apart were made on the exposed roots 
with a bill-hook and the milk collected in little pus 
dug in the ground under the roots to receive the 
milk. The trees were tapped twice a day for three 
days t.e. between 6 to 10 a.m. in the morning and 
between 4 and 6 p.m. in the evening and on the next 
morning the milk was found to be coagulated in hard 
tongues. These were removed and the tree tapped 
•gain «0 before,’ ‘ It was noticed that the trees bled 
more freely in the early morning than late in the day; 
t.e. a tree tapped at 6 a.m. would bleed for 10 to 16 
minutes, while those tapped later would only bleed 
for 5 or 6 minutes, as the heat caused the milk to 
set much quicker and clog the milk ducts. Again 
trees growing on moist alluvial soil bled more freely 
than those growing on dry soil, a small sized tree 
with a girth of 21 inches standing on good moist 
soil and little distant from the surrounding teak 
gave oz. of rubber, while a tree growing on dry 
soil and surrounded by teak though 37 inches in girth 
gave only | oz. of rubber. Particular notice was 
taken of the trees tapped in January 1895, the in- 
cisions made then were completely healed and those 
that b!ed well then bled freely even this year. From 
this it is plain that soil and surroundings have a good 
deal to do with rubber-producing qualities of the 
Ceara.’ ‘ In Match and April 1896 attempts were 
made to tap but with little success, the trees bled 
but little, the weather being too dry and hot and the 
trees leafless, the best season to tap is between De- 
cember and February.’ ‘From the experiment tried 
has been noticed that trees planted 20 yards apart 
t.e. 100 trees per acre (the soil being favourable i.e. 
deep moist alluvial soil) will produce on an average 
4 oz. of solid rubber per tree per annum when 3 feet 
in girth in about 18 years.’ 
Report by Mr. H. Tireman, District forest Officer, 
North Malabar, dated Manantoddy, 29th Augt. 189'7. 
‘ Twenty-three Ceara rubber trees were tapped at 
the end of May this year. The average girth of these 
trees was 21 inches. The yield was 8 oz. of rubber. 
These trees were tapped three times on three conse- 
cutive days. They bad never been tapped before. In 
July, during a break in the rains, 67 trees, all of 
which had been tapped last September, were again 
tapped once. Their average girth was 27 inches and 
the yield was 20 oz. I will do some further tapping 
after the rains are over. I do not, however, think that 
the Ceara rubber is of any use as a rubber producer, 
compared with Ficus elastica and HeveaBrazillensis.’ 
•—Indian Forester. 
NEWS FROM BRAZIL. 
From an Ex-Ceylon PLAN’fER— M e. Sco’tt 
Blacklaw. 
Rio, 16th Nov. 1897. 
Three things have engaged public attention . in 
Brazil for the last six months. The Little Rebellion 
in the State of Bahia— the Low Price of Coffee— and 
the Diminished Value of the Currency. 
It has been 
A BAD IHING FOR THE COttNTRy. 
This expedition alone cannot have cost less than 
6 000,000®, already a vote of 4,000,000® has been asked 
for from the Chamber of Deputies. 
"When the Vice-President began this struggle in 
December — by sending the forces of the Union to 
the aid of the State of Bahia, exchange on London 
was over ninepence per milreis ; by the time 
the struggle ended it had fallen to seven pence. 
That is from 26i milries to a pound sterling to 34i. 
The par value is 8.mil.-890-reis). Whenever any 
political commotion occurs or when the Government 
adopts any policy which may lead to drafts of money 
on the Treasury down goes exchange ; for it is well 
known that the expenditure can only be met by 
increasing “ the promises to pay ” either in the 
shape of a loan or in the issue of paper money. 
Paper money in this country is different from yours. 
With you any one can demand to be paid in metal, 
and the guarantee is the deposit in the coffers of Gov- 
ernment of sold silver, and your exchange is regulated 
more or less by the value of silver. Here there is no 
guarantee but the Government promise to pay,” and 
one is forced to accept payment in thiv forced paper 
currency. A Bank note of an English or Scotch Bank 
aavs distinctly on demand the value to be paid in 
sterlin;/. In Brazil metal currency that is gold pieces 
of the value of twenty milreis and silver miJreiB,,ato 
