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elastica, which in this respect resembles the well-known Banyan 
tree, and is one of the largest growing trees of the mixed forest 
in Assam. It requires an exceedingly damp atmosphere to do 
well, and therefore thrives best at the loot of the mountains, or on 
the mountains themselves, up to an elevation of 2,000 feet. It is 
met with also at a higher elevation, but there it is not so vigorous 
and at 5,000 feet it is liable to be injured or killed by frost. 
7. Seedlings of Ficus elastica planted in the forks of trees in 
the forest are very difficult to attend to, and thev in consequence 
often become dry about their roots, which retards their growth if it 
does not kill them ; for these reasons, rubber trees planted on the 
ground grow much better in the Assam plantations, and the latter 
mode of planting has therefore been adopted almost exclusively. 
I hey are not planted, however, on the ground in the common way, 
but on small mounds 3 to 4 feet high of earth, and the cut wood 
and rubbish dose at hand, which suits the epiphytal habit of 
growth of this tree. 
8. 1 his Rubber tree can also be readily propagated from cut- 
tings, if only perfectly ripe young branches or shoots are used, but 
young trees so raised are not so hardy as the seedlings, and do not 
make equally good growth in the first five to ten years. 
9. To ensure the greatest possible amount of moisture in the 
atmosphere, the plantations of I'icus elastica in Assam have been 
made in the moist evergreen forests, near the foot of the hills, 
through which lines 40 feet in width were cleared 100 feet apart 
from centre to centre of the lines, thus leaving 60 feet of forest 
standing between the line. On these cleared lines the mounds for 
the planting of the seedlings or saplings are thrown up at dis- 
tances of 25 feet apart. Care has to be taken afterwards to prevent 
the forest trees left standing closing in above, over the lines and 
the Rubber trees planted on them, which they have always a ten- 
dency to do, and which, if not guarded against, is very detrimental 
to the growth of the young Rubber trees. This is easily effected 
by lopping the branches of the forest trees left standing. The 
undergrowth which springs up on these lines, and as a rule, grows 
most vigorously, has also to be cleared two or three times in the 
year for the first four or five years to admit air for the young Rub- 
ber trees; but beyond this, and the putting occasionally some more 
earth on to the mounds on which the trees were planted, nothing 
is necessary. 
10. The lines for the planting are cut in an east and west direc- 
tion, so as to protect the young Rubber trees against the strong 
sun in the middle of the day ; the atmosphere also keeps moister 
in this case than if the lines were cut south and north. 
n. High ground is always best, and swampy ground, where 
water lodges, should be avoided; but the tree grows very well on 
alluvial fiats, on the banks of rivers, even though the land be inun- 
dated for a few days once or twice in the year. 
G. MANN, 
Conservator of Forests, Assam 
