253 
DIFFERENT METHODS OF TAPPING. 
Incisions and Excisions. 
Throughout the East all plantation rubber is obtained by some 
method of excising the bark whereas in Brazil the process is one of 
incisions. This latter method has been fully tried in this Garden 
and discontinued for the reason of slow bark recovery of the incised 
wounds, combined with the poor return of latex— although in Brazil 
u is claimed that the amount of rubber is higher per tree. This is 
very doubtful and probably refers to the average of old trees com- 
pared witn young trees in the East. From one of the oldest and 
argest tree in the Singapore Garden (see p. 252, table 4) 1245 ozs. of 
latex were obtained in three periods of tapping during 1909 resulting 
in 26 lbs. of rubber. (This tree was actually excised on 80 days only 
for one year), a much larger return than could be obtained by 
incisions and only a small area of bark operated on. 
V-Shaped Method. 
So far as we know there is not any difference of opinion as to 
what part of the tree should be tapped. It should be the trunk of 
the tree from the base to a height of 5 ft. In our own experiments 
we find that the dry weight of a biscuit of rubber is most from 
nearest the base, there is naturally a larger yield of latex from the 
single or double herring-bone excisions — being 4-5 or 8-10 excisions 
against 2 basal excisions -but the dry weight is slightly less from 
the same quantity of latex while from the upper branches the dry 
weight is considerably less and— with young trees— the exudation of 
Jatex soon ceases. 
It is no doubt due to the fact of the richest latex being nearest 
the base of the tree that the V-shaped method obtains so mam 
votaries. Where the full V is practised half of the girth of a tree 
is operated on or excised and the objection to this method lies in 
tin: interval of rest between completion of the first half of the area of 
bark and commencement of the second half. If the second half is 
followed on immediately the tree is only able to partially fulfil all its 
functions, it is really stagnated and weakened and this should be 
avoided, a half V would only return a scanty yield of latex, the 
half-herring bone would therefore be an improvement as this amounts 
to 4 or 5 hal f Vs. 
Herring-Bone Method. 
The double herring-bone method something like 4 or 5 pairs of 
full Vs has proved too expensive in bark excision and the single 
herring-bone method— a vertical channel with 4 or 5 half Vs, or 
oblique excisions at an angle of 45" about 1' apart— is now adopted. 
This we think the most practical method, both as regards yield of 
