443 
whereas compartments 3, 4, and 5 were tapped by Garos with half 
inch carpenters’ gouges introduced for the first time as an experi- 
ment. I he gouge was worked with a small mallet and is reported 
to be the best of the three methods, as it does not damage the tree 
so much as the dhao or kukri, shallow wounds, only bark deep, 
being made, instead of the deeply-incised and jangged wounds 
caused by the last-mentioned tools. In this connection, it is im- 
portant to remember that the rubber cells are located in the inner 
bark layers, and that to obtain the latex flow, it is unnecessary to 
wound any portion of the cambium. It is therefore, expedient 
that the tapping tool employed should be capable of being con- 
trolled and guided to a greater extent than is practicable with a 
dhao or kukri , which can be used only with a forcible, and, oftener 
than not, a damaging cut. 
6. I be plantation was inspected by the Conservator as recently 
as the 13th of the present month, when it was observed that bark 
\vas already forming over the gouge cuts, that is to say, within 
eight months of the tapping operations, and it seems safe to pre- 
dict that these kinds of wounds will be thoroughly healed twelve 
months after their first infliction. The dhao cuts, on the other 
hand, take longer to heal, and compartments 1 and 2 that were 
tapped in January, 1899, are or, Jy now recovering from the opera- 
tion. Roughly speaking, it may be stated that these kinds of cuts 
take six months longer to heal than those made with the gouge. 
7. The outturn of raw unclean rubber obtained by the different 
Comparison of raw methods was slightly in favour of the dhao and 
outturn obtained by kukri, compartments 6, 7, and 8 yielding -70 of 
different tools. a p OUIlc j p er tree, as compared with -65 of a 
pound per tree yielded by compartments 3, 4, and 5. But the slight 
difference in favour of the dhao is more than counterbalanced by 
the greater damage caused to the trees, while it is reported by 
Mr. Copeland that the loss in weight caused by the extraction of 
foreign matters is in favour of the gouge — the actual ratio based 
on the results of carefully weighing the first two days’ tappings 
being as 3 to 5. Unfortunately, the clean rubber obtained from the 
different compartments was subsequently not kept separate, when 
it became impossible to correctly differentiate between the clean 
outturn resulting from the use of the different tools, and the figures 
exhibited under this head in Statement A attached are considered 
to show results too favourable to compartments 6, 7, and 8, at the 
expense of compartments 3, 4, and 5. 
8. In this connection it may be noted that, with the help of 
New tool recently Messrs. Ahmuty & Co., of Calcutta, a new kind 
designed. 0 f gouge has lately been made, which promises 
to turn out better for the work than either of those above men- 
tioned. 
9. Considering the figures relating to loss of weight, owing to 
Loss of weight by cleaning and drying, as a whole, it would appear 
intermixture of for- that, on the raw material as first collected, this 
loss came to about 5.I percent., a proportion 
