Agricultural bull et i xM 
OF THE 
STRAITS 
AND 
FEDERATED MALAY STATES. 
N°* S*] MAY, 1904. [Vol. III. Part I. 
TAPPING SCARS IN OLD WOOD. 
Plate 5. 
One ol the oldest Para rubber trees in the Botanic Gardens, 
SiugapGie, was recently blown down in a gale and on being* cut uj > 
for removal it was found to bear in tlie interior distinct marks ol 
previous tappings in the herring-bone manner. The tree itself 
had a diameter of 17 inches and was planted in rStjg. The annual 
rings are mostly rather difficult to make out, but some arc fairlv 
conspicuous. They are very irregular in breadth and distance apart, 
but twenty-seven can be made out. If these rings represent years, 
the tree must have been raised from seed in 1876, and transferred 
to the Economic Gardens in 1884. 
The stem beais the marks of two herring-bone tappings on dif- 
ferent sides of the tree and at different dates. The earliest is five 
inches from the centre when judging from the rings it w as about 
l8 years old, and this scar was covered by finches of sound wood, 
the marks are quite clear, and when fresh were of a reddish brown 
colour, standing out clearly against the white wood. The wood 
ol Para rubber trees is when quite freshly cut white, but on expo- 
sure it becomes of a light reddish brown. 
I here is no sign of any injury to the surrounding wood which 
however, it was noticed was a little harder. The rings of wood 
formed after the wound healed were broad and sound showing no 
signs of any check to the growth of the tree. On some of the lateral 
cuts, knots of harder wood were found, evidently due to suppressed 
buds. The development of these oval or globular balls of wood 
on the lower edge of a deep cut are doubtless well known to manv 
planters. 
1 he < e litre ol the trunk showed signs of decay especially at the 
base, but this had nothing to do with any tapping cuts, from the 
appeal ance ol which it was clear that absolutely no injury bad 
been caused to the tree. The tree had also been tapped with the 
sIlort single cuts during the past year and these made no trace of 
anv kind on the wood. 
