19 
Mr. Spring : And carrying lots of soil, too. (Laughter.) 
Mr. Prior ; The system I have tided is one of short, blind drains 
quite level. According to the contour of the hill it goes all round 
and catches all the water. The trees grow well and there is no 
wash. I have seen the old Ceylon system by which the whole 
hill is washed away and there are tearing torrents, so that the hill 
gets nothing of the water to be retained for the trees. 
Mr. Spring : 1 have not tried that system you have practised, 
but 1 think it is a very good system. It would have as much 
beneficial effect as in the terracing system. 
Mr. A. H. Malet next gave his experience of manuring on a 
30-acre block. That was the only block on the estate that had 
not a single case of pink disease that year. (Hear, hear.) 
The Chairman : Have you got any analysis of the mixture you 
tried P 
Mr, Malet : Yes, I think so. A sample of the soil was sent to 
Mr. Kelway Bamber (Agricultural Chemist, Ceylon), to be analysed, 
and on the analysis of the soil the manure was made out. 
Another planter said that in his experience he had found that 
rubber trees really fed their roots on the surface. It seemed strange, 
therefore, to find that both Mr. Vesterdal and Mr. Spring recom- 
mended that the soil should be dug down and that the trees should 
teed below. How could such an idea be reconciled with the views 
expressed F 
The Chairman : I think that you will take it from either 
gentleman that what they intended to imply was that as the roots 
get down to the more permanent manure you get better results. 
Mr. Spring : The principal ideals in the matter of cultivation 
are to get the roots to go down and stop too much evaporation of 
moisture. If you get that done, I think it would be found beneficial 
to get the roots down so that you can continue the cultivation. 
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