tree growing in the Garden, planted in 1885. Since then two more tappings of the 
same tree have been made, first in April, and again in November, without, so far as 
can at present be seen any injury to the tree. The result of these tappings, all 
practically within a year, is close on nine pounds of dry rubber, in addition to this, 
one pound was taken in 1897 an< ^ valued at 3/3 per lb. There is said to be a consi- 
derable difference in the yield of trees of the same size and age growing under similar 
conditions, so possibly this is an exceptionally good one and it is desirable that 
several trees should be operated on at the same time in order to arrive at a correct 
estimate of the average return. Unfortunately we have not the means of doing this 
here as there are only a few trees in the Garden and most of them planted in poor 
dry stony soil where they have made very slow growth. On the first occasion tap- 
ping was commenced on the 1 6th November and terminated on the 201I1 December, 
and yielded 3tfcs dry rubber. The second commenced on the 8th of April and con- 
tinued to 14th May, the result being - 2 ^ 1 bs of dry rubber. Third commenced on the 
23rd November and ended on the 231-d December. The first and third tappings took 
place towards the end of the wet season and the second at the end of what may be 
considered our dry season. The same number of collections were made on each 
occasion. A thin shaving was removed from the lower surface of the oblique cuts, 
made on the first morning, thirteen times on alternate mornings unless Sunday inter- 
vened or rain prevented. At 11 A.M. the tins were brought in and the contents 
poured into a soup plate and by the following morning it had coagulated. After 
pressing out the water by hand it was weighed. Unfortunately the record of the 
weights of the April-May tapping has been lost, but as each day’s collection was 
numbered and preserved there is no doubt as to the correctness of the quantity of 
dry rubber obtained. The following table show's the quantity obtained each day at 
the first and third tappings and is interesting as showing the small quantity obtained 
at the beginning and the necessity of renewing the wound on the same surface. 
Weight of Wet Rubber obtained at each collection in ounces. j ]>y 1 
No. of Collection 
April-May, 1S99 
November-December, 
1899 
1 
f 
i 
s 
• j 
! 
j 
; 
: 
oz. 
! ft | oz. 
1 I 
2 , 
3 4 
5 *' 
7 
00 
IO 
1 
1 i | 
12 
13 | r 4 
j 
. . . 1 
! 
... ... 
3 
4 
if 
A. 
041 u ! 
i 9 6 i 
6:V8 h 
6 
: 6.1 
1 O 
00 
isr- 
OO 
si 
iA 
3 T- 
1 j 
1 
; 
| 
1 
2 i 8 
1 r 
i 
ijrl 
2 I 
6| ! 8 1 
ro 
jiof: 6£ 
9 
! i i4 
In i 
[ I ! 8 
6! 4*1 
3 i 4 
Total amount of dry rubber from one tree in one year . . . j 8 ■ 12 
* Among planters here there appears to be no doubt as to the satisfactory growth 
of this tree but some have doubts, based mainly on reports from Ceylon, whether the 
yield will be sufficient to make it a paying crop. From what I saw as the result of 
tappings at Peradeniya Gardens, Ceylon, last May, and what the Director told me, 
nothing like the results obtained in Perak, Singapore, and Penang are obtainable there; 
unless they have not hitherto continued operating long enough on the same cuts. As 
regards the cost of collection the average time for these experiments was half-an- 
hour for each collection, or a total of twenty-two hours for eight and three-quarter 
pounds of rubber. To this must be added the cost of drying, but this is not a serious 
matter. Onthe2ist November last, 1 visited Mr. D. LOGAN’S Estate in Province 
Wellesley and made notes of the progress-of the trees planted there. The first were 
planted in March, 1898, and had therefore been planted at the time of my visit one 
vearand nine months. 
The largest tree measured eighteen feet high with a girth at three feet from the 
ground of 6} inches. Many others are almost as tall and thick and the average of a 
number of measurement gave 15 feet height and 4! inches girth. A plot planted nine 
months later, i. e.,in December, 1898, has grown relatively better, the average being 
12 feet high and t 4 inches in girth. The whole plantation looks well but there have 
been many losses’ among those planted during 1899 owing to their being submerged 
before they bad Jbecome established. 
After* this tree has become well rooted, flooding the land for a time does not 
appear to do much harm but when newly planted it is fatal. Some rows that 1 
advised being manured with cattle manure in the early part of the year as an experi- 
ment show no appreciable benefit from the treatment. 
