391 
RUBBER TREES AND GREEN MANURING. 
Mr. R. D. Anstead, B.Sc., late Agricultural Superintendent in 
Grenada, under the Imperial Department of Agriculture, gives an 
account of an experiment, having connexion with the same subject 
which was carried out by him recently in South Travancore. In this, 
two samples of soil were taken, one from under a very poor covering 
of Passiflora sp., and one from a patch which had been kept clean 
weeded, and which was exposed to the sun. Equal weights of the 
samples were dried in an oven for five or six hours, and the weights 
taken again, when it was found that, although the Passiflora was of 
poor growth and gave a minimum of shade, the soil beneath it con- 
tained il per cent, more moisture than that of the area which had 
been kept dear of weeds. 
Mr. Anstead points out that this experiment is a strong argument 
in favour of keeping the ground covered with a growing cover crop, 
even during the dry season, at any rate in some kinds of cultivation, 
and suggests that leguminous weeds, such as Cassia mimosoides, may 
well be used in the place of plants like Passiflora. He also draws 
attention to the usefulness of plants grown in this way, in the pre- 
vention of the loss of surface soil by washing during heavy rains. - 
The Agricultural News, Voi. IX, p. 185. 
CORRESPONDENCE, 
CHRONOLOGY OP RUBBER. 
20, Eastcheap, 
London, E.C. 18th July, 1910. 
Dear Mr. Ridley, 
I have just been reading your interesting Historical Notes on 
Rubber in the Agricultural Bulletin. I have referred to my papers on 
the subject and the following I find are dates of interesting events you 
have omitted on your chronological table : 
1883. First fruiting of trees at Heneratgoda, 260 seedling plants 
raised at Heneratgoda 
1884. 1,000 Do. Do. 
1884. First fruiting of Ceylon trees at Peradenia. 
1888. 11,500 seeds sent to Straits from Heneratgoda. 
1894. Dr. Trimen reports: “ I do not think it desirable or indeed 
of any use, to commence bleeding the trees before they 
are at least 10 years old.” 
