chisel was used for making and renewing the cuts. At the be- 
ginning the milk comes slowly and at no time continues running 
for long. With two exceptions the cuts were renewed between 
7 and 8 a. m. and the tins brought in at n A. m. but the flow had 
ceased before that time. The two exceptions were when the 
operation was performed in the evening, but as there is always a 
danger of rain during the night and a very slight shower causes 
water to flow into the tins as nearly all the water trickling down 
the stem of the tree falls into the oblique cuts and is thence led 
directly into the tins the work is best done in this climate in the 
morning. Generally the latex had coagulated by the following 
morning, that is aftei standing about twenty hours but on two 
occasions only partially so. In these cases and also when rain 
water had got in the tins a pinch of powdered alum was added 
which caused perfect coagulation in a short time. If the addi- 
tion of alum does not affect the value of the rubber it facilitates 
working operations in wet weather for a little water getting 
mixed with the latex does not matter provided the vessels do 
not overflow. All the rubber can be recovered by the addition 
of alum. On the morning the incisions were first made only £ 
oz. of wet rubber was obtained but by taking a thin shaving off 
the lower surface of the oblique cuts on fourteen subsequent 
occasions the following quantities were obtained at each opera- 
tion, in ounces f , if, 3 £, 3 £, 3 |, 6, 9 6*. 8*, 6, 6*, 10, 8*, 8. To- 
tal 5 lbs. i| ozs. of wet rubber which weighed when dry exactly 
3 lbs. As will be seen from this the last three tappings gave a 
better result than any previous three, the operations were only 
suspended as it was not advisable to make the cuts any wider. 
The time occupied in affixing the tins and renewing the cuts 
averaged half an hour on each occasion or 7^ hours in all. It may 
therefore be taken that a man at say 3 o cents a day could attend 
to at least fifteen trees a day, and that the cost of collecting it 
will not exceed 10 cents per lb.” 
The alum, however, seemed to me to have an injurious effect 
on the rubber, making it soft and had better not be used. 
Mr. Willis, in letters written to me, points out two errata in 
my quotations from his Bulletin, in the Gardens Bulletin No. 8, 
p. 2 3 o. The 45 trees at Heneratgoda were twenty-one, not eleven, 
years old, and the trees of 2 feet mean girth gave only 5.17 
ounces not lbs. He also states that the popular idea that Para 
rubber cuttings die in a few years is a fallacy. He says ‘ ‘Some of 
the best Para rubber trees here are from them and 12 to 15 years 
old. I fancy cuttings of lateral branches will not do so well. 
I his is what one would have expected from evidence here, but 
certain persons have been constantly stating that in Cevlon trees 
from cuttings have always died in the fourth year. It is regret- 
table that would-be instructors in planting are not more careful 
in their facts. Undoubtedly Para rubber is not very easy to 
strike, but when well rooted the cuttings seem to be as good as 
any other plants. Recently it was noticed in the Botanic Gar- 
dens here that some sticks of Para Rubber about 4 feet tall and 
