20 
THINKING OUT, 
By T. J. Gumming, 
(Manager, Seafield Estate , Selangor, F.M.S .) 
TN the early days of rubber planting few realized to what 
* magnitude a tree 15 to 20 years old would attain, and most 
planters made the mistake of planting too closely — some more, 
some less — common distances being 10 ft, x 10 ft., 10 ft. x 15 ft., 
12ft. x 12 ft., 15 ft. x 20 ft., and so on. 
Though these distances have since been found to be too close 
there is a good deal of reason in the case of the early planter who 
planted closely, as no one at that time could foretell the future of the 
marketable product, and, while the price of rubber was booming at 
10i*. to 12s,, there was a lot of profit to be made off an acre carrying 
from 150 to 300 trees, and in the case of the private owner, lie 
naturally wanted the maximum yield in the minimum time. 
Then, too, labour was cheaper, and the profits were sufficiently 
large to allow of little extravagances, or ratlier, what appear as 
extravagances to-day, to be glossed over. 
Need fob Thinning. 
The slump in the price of rubber caused planters to look around 
for ways and means of curtailing expeuses, and a point that was 
quickly apparent was the fact that practically the same crop could be, 
aud was, being got off an acre carrying 100 trees as off an acre with 
double the number of trees, and the cost of tapping in the latter case 
was naturally double the former. 
There appeared also with the close planting the delay in bark 
renewal, and this, of course, meant loss of money, as the longer the 
period required for renewal the less the yield per acre over a period 
of years. To commence with, a two years’ renewal was considered 
sufficient,, and it appeared to be so until the next two years’ renewal 
came to be operated on, when it was found the bark was not nearly 
ready for tapping', and wounding and reduced yields were the result. 
It was noticed that trees on the outside of the fields or near 
roads where there was any extra space appeared to have a much 
better bark renewal than those inside, and this probably first led one 
to consider the necessity of light and air to procure good healthy 
bark renewal in a reasonable period. 
The Agricultural Department were at the same time working 
on the subject of the rubber tree and it was pointed out in various 
lectures and bulletins that latex was formed in the leaves of the tree, 
and that without a good head of leaf the tree could yield but little 
latex. Well, as everyone knows, with close planting all the lateral 
branches get pushed or drawn up almost perpendicularly in order to 
