12 
organic matter developing nitrates seems to be different. This 
is a point on which much of the future of the industry depends. 
It now remains to be seen whether the influence of alternate 
dry and wet seasons on the flowering of the vines can be made 
good by the action of manm'es and proper treatment. 
When a spell of dry weather causes the vines to mature 
during 2 or 3 months before the blossoming season (September) 
the flowering is always good. It is not in our power to change 
the climatic conditions which rule the flowering of orchids 
although a certain amount of exposure of roots and withdrawal 
of leaf mould manmn at the right time may have some influence. 
But it is easy to understand that by improving the growth of 
the vines by a judicious manurial treatment for the whole of the 
year and especially for the whole time (3 years) during which 
the young vanilla vines have not reached the flowering stage a 
greater amount of food will accumulate in the vines and migrate 
towards the flovrering buds when a good season for flowering 
arrives with a resultant improvement in the crop. 
VIII. 
The Rubber industry. 
Es 2,265 worth of rubber was exported in 1912. About 
50,000 seedlings were planted out this year bringing the total 
number of Para rubber plants growing in the Colony to about 
184,000 and the total acreage to 1,082 acres. One more estate 
in South Mahe has started tapping this year on a small scale 
raising to four the total number of estates in full working order. 
Small estates possessing a few thousand trees are gradually 
reaching the tapping stage, the production however small being 
sold to the larger estates that have commenced tapping. There 
is therefore no difficulty in the way of tapping on all estates and 
I do not understand why two of the larger estates of the Colony, 
on which more than 3,000 trees have reached a tappable size, are 
still delaying the tapping operations. The reason given is that 
tapping will not be begun until at least 10,000 trees have reached 
the tappable size. In view of the slow growth of rubber trees 
in Seychelles and of the reduction in price which is likely to 
occur in the near futm-e this does not seem to be a wise policy. 
The variation in growth of the trees grown in Seychelles 
can be explained by the rocky nature of the ground and by the 
composition of the soils which are more or less good according 
to the number of Cassava crops (preceded by fresh fires and 
followed by erosion) raised on them. There is also such a great 
variety of granites of different grain and texture even in patches 
of a few square yards that the physical composition of the soil 
is very variable. The granites which decompose into friable 
soils produce more favourable land than the red stiff laterites 
resembling augites derived from granites of finer textm’e. It 
is not always easy to determine at first sight the physical com¬ 
position of the soil but a good guide is the growth of the sub- 
spontaneous vegetation in those places where bracken ferns have 
not excluded other plants. For example in places where 
Albizzia trees [Bois noir) grow to a good size one is almost sure 
that the soil is of good composition whilst the presence of 
cinnamon with yellowish tinge points to unsuitable soil. But 
the soil has to be carefully examined acre by acre. 
However the following table may serve to show the varia¬ 
tion in growth of all trees in a given plantation started in the 
neighbourhood of the Botanic Station in 1906 and completed in 
1907 : 
Trees 
above 
32 inches. 
• • • 
4 
yy 
28 
yy 
• 0 4 
33 
yy 
yy 
24 
yy 
• • . 
154 
yy 
yy 
20 
yy 
4 4 4 
434 
yy 
yy 
16 
yy 
4 4 4 
688 
yy 
under 16 
yy 
• 4 4 
588 
Total number of trees 
Trees of tappable size 
Percentage of trees of tappable size 
1901 
1313 
69 o/o. 
