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Mr. Pinching asked Mr. Richards to express his opinion as to 
whether he does or does not consider that deep tapping encourages 
infection by Phytophthom — “ black thread.” 
Mi*. Richards replied that he had not sufficient experience of 
the disease to offer an expression of opinion but that he thought deeply 
tapped trees would not suffer any more severely than those lightly 
tapped. He added that he hoped no planter present would seriously 
consider it policy to commence shallow tapping because the question 
had been raised. 
Mr. Ellis advocated deeper tapping as liable to show disease 
more easily, besides being more beneficial for latex. 
Mr. Pinching said that Messrs. Harrisons and Crosfield had a 
solution that was said to be exactly the same as used in Sumatra, 
but what puzzled him was that they did not get the same results. 
Mr. Richards said he had not tried it, and so could not say. 
