106 
fairly quickly. An account of this fibre and its possibilities 
will appear in an early number of this “Bulletin.” On 
many estates the swamps in which para rubber grows only 
precariously or not at all could be more profitably planted 
with Sago for the sake of its attaps, which at present can be 
sold at a good price. An account of this plant may be 
found in the “Agricultural Bulletin” January 1895, 
The main points in putting down catchcrops expected 
to pay is not to put down something which is consumed to 
only a small extent, and with which the market would be 
easily over-stocked. Patchouli and Papain are cases in 
point. The Department of Agriculture is always ready to 
supply statistics about tropical products, and its library, 
which is already fairly extensive, is at the disposal of plant- 
ers who wish to read up the literature of any particular 
product. 
I notice that the upper lateral roots of rubber trees lie 
much deeper where intertillage has been practised than in 
the ordinary clean-weeded virgin jungle soil. 
Prufing. 
The question of pruning is still an unsettled one, and 
the majority of planters regard topping with disfavour. 
At any rate thumbnail pruning is preferable to cutting of 
a top two or three inches long. In the latter case a leader 
never grows up ; two or three branches come out of the same 
level and at a wide angle. In a year or two when their leaf 
spread is larger one or more of these branches breaks off 
leaving a gaping wound in the stem, and which offers an 
entrance to wound-fungi. I think it is not wise to assert 
that pruning should or should not be followed. Much de- 
pends on the situation, the soil, and the rapidity of growth 
of the trees. Certain trees branch naturally at a suitable 
height; others grow up to 15 feet and higher without 
branching and these might certainly be helped by judicious 
pruning. 
It is generally recognised now that all branches should 
be cut off when quite young up to a height of at least 10 
feet, as tapping will ultimately her done to this height at 
least ; a good clean step is wanted, and branches or big scars 
left where old strong branches had been cut off will only 
interfere with high tapping. 
Formerly when two branches grew off near the ground 
both were allowed to develop on the view that double the 
tapping area would be available. Planters with old trees 
