The whole of the experimental plots was set out, as stated already, under the shade of 
Alhizzia Moluccana and Parkia Roxburgliii which throw out into the beds numerous rootlets 
thus checking the growth of vanilla. These rootlets have to he dug out every month. This 
work entails a considerable amount of labour as the mulch containing the manure has to be 
lifted out and put back again not without injury to the roots of vanilla. When funds will 
permit it is contemplated to separate off the beds with high walls and a cement floor so as to 
get rid of rootlets of which the injury cannot be properly measured in all plots. Tnese roots 
were found to he more abundant in the plots where coconut husk, sea weeds and complete ferti¬ 
lizer Truffaut were used. At the foot of each vanilla vine nearly a basket full of rootlets has 
to he removed several times a year. These rootlets after being left in the suti for a couple of 
days are put hack in their corresponding beds so as to avoid a portion of the manure, with 
which they are soaked, being lost. No account is taken of such a great amount of organic 
material containing nitrogen being put back to the vanilla beds from which it originated as 
the same treatment is applied to all beds. 
In 1916 beds were set out with productive and non-productive vines, that is to say that 
vines were selected as cuttings from one estate where the vines were of uniform growth but 
only half of which had flowered. The other half which did not flower for 8 years in succes¬ 
sion were supposed to he “dumb” vines. It is from these “dumb” vines that the cuttings 
called non-productive vines were selected. The results hitherto obtained show that the so- 
called non-productive vines bear as well as the others. Plots 11 to 18 were planted with pro¬ 
ductive vines and plots 19 to 28 with non-productive ones. 
CHAPTER ViII. 
THE RUBBER INDUSTRY. 
The exportation of'rubber during 1917 amounted to 3,923 kilogs valued at Rs. 5,982. The 
amount exported in 3916 reached 2,739 kilogs and only 285 kgs in 1915, The industry is 
thus progressing satisfactorily. New areas are even opened for-rubber planting which is more 
and more gaining favour. The opposition among planters who did not believe in the future 
of rubber is disappearing. Rubber is taking the place which was assigned to it 15 years ago 
by this department i.e., that of replacing vanilla which is doomed. There are enough trees 
already set out .to produce 100 tons of rubber in a few years worth Rs 400,000 or more than 
the amount realized by the exportation of vanilla. 
Unlike most other plants cultivated in this Colony Para Rubber is remarkably free from 
disease and it thrives in those lateritic soils of Seychelles which are quite worn out. It is 
owing to this resistance to adverse conditions of growth that the culture of this plant lias 
been reccommended long ago. Lateritic soils or soil derived from decomposition of granitic 
rocks in situ have the property of being baked or hardened by the sun. In such soils none 
except hardy plants like rubber can resist droughts. It is no use growing coconut, vanilla or 
other herbaceous plants in them. These soils which occupy 10,000 acres of land in Mahe 
alone are still lying waste in the Colony. Rubber depends more ou the weather conditions 
than on soil treatment. This has been shown clearly this year. Trees which had made nc 
growth and looked much like walking sticks 2 or 3 years ago put on new growth in the wet 
season and have now passed the critical period of their lives. When rubber has reached 12 
inches girth in the poor soils of this Colony it increases in girth by leaps and bounds afterwards 
cften at the rate of 5 inches per annum. Many rubber estates which were quite unpromising 
2 years ago owing to the trees being spindly and small are this } r ear in the pink of conditions. 
Planters who have visited Ceylon can bear testimony to this and to the immunity of Sey¬ 
chelles rubber from disease. This is an important proof that many hill estates of this Colony 
can be, as anticipated, fully converted into rubber estates. 
The estates which are tapping obtain such good yields that thinning out is not carried on 
as it should be. The removal of trees which are so good yielders may be heart breaking but 
this policy is unsound as trees which are closely planted do not renew their bark properly. 
Mr Campbell in Ceylon has proved this point and once the renewed bark is too thin for tap¬ 
ping without wounding the trees the yield will decrease considerably. A planter near Victoria 
Mated to me that he is getting 3 lbs per tree 9 to 10 years old, and that his nett produce per 
tree amounts to R 1 in spite of tie higher cost of freight and other expenses which he puts 
down as being R 0 54£ for cost of production and curing and R 0.45 for cost of shipping and 
gale. At R 1 nett per tree and counting 150 trees to the acre this yield is more thau double 
that of an acre of coconut in good land. 
Regarding disease I saw signs of 2 fungi attacking branches of a rubber tree which had 
remained stunted. Mr Fetch of Ceylon kindly identified them as being : 
1. Hirneoia hispidula; 2. Hexagonia discopoda. 
Hirneola is a harmless species which grows on any dead wood. Hexagonia discopoda has 
& peculiar penchant, according to Mr Fetch, for dead branches attached to living trees. It 
lias also always been regarded as harmless although Mr Petch is at present ascertaining if it 
is really a parasite or not. 
On Bel Air road I noticed lately a few dead branches of rubber on isolated trees but it 
soon become clear to me that rats had gnawed out the bark of these branches for a few inches 
even for a foot long iu many places. This ringbarking was sufficient to kill the branches 
fvhich were in all cases about the size of the thumb. Rats have been lately deprived of one 
<>f their favourite foods, sugar cane, which is no longer grown in the colony on the same scale 
$.B formerly owing to a tax of Rs 250 an acre having been levied by Government to protect 
the fisc which was losing a large part of its income from the free sale of a fermented beverage 
^containing 6 c/o of duty free alcohol. It is said that rats are also damaging coconut, crops 
snore than formerly but this point can only be ascertained by direct experiment. 
