631 
March i, 1898.] THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST, 
Hia Excellency the Governor thought the matter 
of sufficient importance to make special allusion 
to it in his address to the Legislative Council on 
November 5th, 1897. His efforts to secure a Cryp- 
togamist from Kew were unsuccessful largely 
through the adverse report of Mr. Thiselton Dyer, 
but private enterprise has stepped in and a sub- 
committee has been appointed by Parent Com- 
mittee in Kandy to communicate with Mr. Dicken- 
son with a view to steps having taken to carry out 
arrangements connected with the Cryptogamist’s 
investigation. 
Licensing Boutique-heepers . — The Dimbula resolution 
on this subject received the unanimous support of 
the Association. It is on the same lines as N. D. 
P. A. registration scheme which is familiar to you all. 
The thanks to the Association are due to the 
Parent Association for their courtesy in allowing 
us the use of their rooms for our meetings. 
Obituary . — We have to regret the loss of your 
late Secretary, Eobert N. Anley and of Mr. Penny 
and Mr. G. W. Eudd. Owing to the lamented death 
of your late Secretary a new one had to be ap- 
pointed and Mr. Chas. Gibbon undertook the office 
again in April last, to whom thanks are due for the 
interest, energy he has shown. 

CEYLON TEA IN RUSSIA. 
Appended to Mr. T. N. Christie’s Report, which 
we publish on another page, are several tabular state- 
ments. One shows the import of tea at the Euro- 
pean frontiers of the Russian empire during the 
period 1887-1896, the total in the last named year 
being 887,000 lb. against 591 lb. in first. In the 
next table there is shown the quantity of tea 
imported into the whole of the Russian empire 
during 1896, the total of green tea of high qua- 
lity being 113,9981b., of green tea of low quality 
14,739 1b., of block tea 1,444, 154 lb., of brick tea 
987,8171b., and of slab tea 45,4221b. Fioni these 
quantities after inspection were forwarded for 
clearance, (1) to the Askhtbad Custom House 
28,554 lb., to the Bokhara Custom House 42,676 
lb., and (2) to the Bokhara Custom House 12,062 
lb. Another table is given in which is indicated 
the quantity of tea on which duty was paid, as 
also its value on importation into Russia during 
1894-1896. Following that there is a translation of 
section 20 of the Russian Customs tariff and the 
following ; — 
RATES or DUTY ON TEAS. 
European frontiers Roubles 21., gold, per Pond or 
£10 10s 8d. per cwt.-ls lOJd. per lb. English. 
Siberian Roubles 13., gold, per Poud or £6. 3d. 4d. 
per cwt. Is 2d. per lb. English, 
toiere is also appended a copy of the principal 
articles of the treaty of commerce and navigation 
between Her Majesty and the Emperor of all the 
Russias. 
RUBBER CULTIVATION IN CEYLON. 
The fourth circular issued by Mr. Willis, 
Director of Botanic Gardens, a(Tords a very good 
and useful summary of information on the sub- 
ject of “ Rubber,” although, so far as we can 
see, there is nothing specially new, and a good deal 
of the practical information is taken from the 
Reports of the Forest Department. Mr. Willis 
tells us that the world’s consumption of rubber 
is now over 100 million lb. per annum worth 
more than 10 million sterling and nearly half of 
this comes from Para. We shall be compiling full 
statistics shortly for our Handbook and will be 
ably to verify these estimates. The discovery 
of tlie new rubber-yielding tree Kickxia africana 
has met the increasing demand and kept prices 
down ; but the reckless destruction of trees in 
collecting must erelong tell. Mr. Willis proceeds 
to give an account of the Para district, the 
estimate and soil suited for Hevea (the Brazil 
rubber), tlie mode of planting, rate of growth, 
the mode and yield in tapping. He shows that 
tappings at weekly intervals of trees about 2 ft. 
mean girth in 1897 gave a I'eturn of 5’17 oz. per tree. 
Heneratgoda experiments point to 90 lb. rubber 
per acre after 20 years — net very encouraging ; 
but Mr. VVillis thinks better results can be got 
by planting closer and tapping earlier. As to 
cost of opening plantations, he takes R75 per 
acre for cost of 300 acres of land and shows a total 
outlay of R75,777 up to the 10th year or with in- 
terest at 7 per cent. E110,000 equal to R366'66 
per acre. Taking the yield in the 10th year of 
this properly planted plantation at 100 lb per 
acie we get a gross return of £10 or Rl.50 per acre, 
and taking R50 for cost of harvesting, carriage 
to London, &c., we get RlOO an acre, or 27 per 
cent, on outlaj’’ leaving an ample margin for 
contingencies and satisfactory profit. The circular 
will be found on another page. 
NOTES ON RUBBER GROWING IN PERAK. 
MEMUEANDUM BY MR, L. WRAY, CURATOR 
AND STATE GEOLOGIST, PERAK. 
The first seed of the Para rubber {Hevea Irasi- 
liensis) introduced into Perak in the year 1882 
by Sir Hugh Low, the then British Resident. It 
was_ sent to me to plant, but did not germinate 
having been kept too long after picking. A second’ 
lot was revived a short time after and was planted 
at Kuala Kangsar ; so that the larger trees there 
1887 some seed was 
obtained from the Kuala Kangsar trees and planted 
grounds, Taiping. The soil is very 
bad, the land having all been mined over, but still 
the trees have grown well and have attained, in the 
ten years which have elapsed since they were planted 
a| consideralDle size. Finding that they grew so well 
lo SirP. A. Swettenham, 
the then Bnti^h Kesident of Perak, suggesting that 
they should be planted on waste lands, and, as a 
result, Mr. 0. Marks, then Superintendent, Govern- 
ment Kantations, put out a number of trees at 
Auala Kangsar, which are now about six years old 
and are doing very well. 
It may be stated that it will thrive in any locality, 
from the bateau swamps to the foot-hills, and on any 
soil, from rich alluvial to old mine heaps. ^ 
There is little to guide one on the subject, but 
from 15 to 20 feet apart would appear to be about 
the oorrecc spacing. At 20 feet it might be neoes- 
sary to plant sornething in between to keep them 
from early branching, but this would not be necessary 
at 15 feet. In Larut, at an estate at Kampong Dew 
they are being planted at 10 by 10 feet, that is 644 
per acre. It is very close, but it is the intention, 
I am informed by Mr. Waddell Boyd, the manager 
to thin them out later on to 20 by 20 feet or \08 
per acre, tapping the intermediate trees— that is, 
those which are ultimately to be thinned out — as 
early as possible and ss severely as they will stand, 
while the others are allowed to grow to a large size 
before tapping. ° 
giving some data respecting the 
growth of the trees, I have measured some of those 
in the Museum grounds. These trees, it is to be re- 
membered are 10 years old and are planted on mined 
land of the poorest quality. 
• For 13 trees the^mean height is 74 feet an I the 
mean giHh _ at 3 feet from the ground is 4 feet 2 
a mean annual growth in height 
ot 7 feet 3 inches in circumference of 5 inches and in 
diameter of 1-6 inch. The greatest difficulty in plant- 
ing Para is the very short time which the seed remains 
good after it falls from the trees. The time which 
