AGRICULTURAL BULLETIN 
OF THE 
5T8AIT5 
AND 
FEDERATED [TALA'/ STATES. 
No. 2.] 
FEBRUARY, 1912. 
[Vol. 1 
VITALITY OF RUBBER SEEDS, 
By F. G. Spring, Superintendent, Government 
Plantations, F.M.S. 
Seeds of Hevea braziliensis do not retain their vitality for a long- 
period and the consequent difficulty of forwarding them successfully 
to distant countries is well known. This year several hundred thou- 
sand Para seeds from tapped trees were packed in Venesta chests 
with charcoal and forwarded to Trinidad. The results obtained were 
far from satisfactory although the seeds were most carefully selected 
and packed. 
There is no doubt that seeds picked immediately on falling, and 
carefully packed, give the best results. If they are allowed to be on 
the ground, or if badly packed, a smaller percentage of germination 
will be obtained. It must be borne in mind however, that no matter 
how the packing has been done, the vitality of Para seeds cannot be 
retained for any length of time if they are not gathered immedi- 
ately. The seeds must not be packed too many in a box, otherwise 
fermentation starts and the whole mass heats and loses its vitality; 
the packing material must be just sufficiently moist to prevent the 
seeds from drying out and not moist enough to encourage the growth 
of moulds and bacteria. For the same reason the packing must be 
fairly tight and yet not quite air-tight. Small boxes seem better 
than larger cases. 
