B M SEE D3fi fo THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA GIFT OF HORACE W. CARPENTIER The CELLAR BOOK SHOP Box 6, College Park Sta. Detroit 21, Mich. -U.S.A. WHAT I SAW i IN THE TROPICS A RECORD OF VISITS TO CEYLON, THE FEDERATED MALAY STATES, MEXICO, NICARAGUA, COSTA RICA, REPUBLIC OF PANAMA, COLOMBIA, JAMAICA, HAWAII BY HENRY C. PEARSON Editor of The India Rubber World NEW YORK THE INDIA RUBBER PUBLISHING CO. CARPEMTIER COPYRIGHT, 1904, BY THE INDIA RUBBER PUBLISHING Co. COPYRIGHT, 1906, BY HENRY C. PEARSON PREFATORY I HATE to write a preface, in fact I always resolve not to, and then do it. When I brought out "Crude Rubber and Compounding Ingredients,"' a captious friend complained that it was too matter of fact, that it "lacked imagination." As it was practically a diction- ary of methods of rubber manufacture, I did not care, that is, I did care, but didn't show it. This book is different. The story of rubber planting is most romantic and at the same time as a whole is sound and successful. I should like to stop a bit just here to say to a lot of good fellows who smiled at my predictions ten years ago "I told you so.'' But they have forgotten, and if they haven't, what's the use? Starting again, this book is not a scientific treatise. It contains the personal experiences of the author in his search for rubber plant- ing information in the tropical world. As a scientific treatise it may be scorned by some intellectual ones who have a string of letters following their names (I wish I had them myself) but whose attenuated digestive organs preclude the possibility of wedding fun with fact. At all events the statements regarding rubber made herewith are facts and can be gambled on. As to miy personal experiences and adventures, think of them as you like. Another word I want to thank planters the world over, for their interest and hospitality, but then they know that too, and if I called them all by name here this book would contain a three hundred page preface. HENRY C. PEARSON. 675 CONTENTS CEYLON AND FEDERATED MALAY STATES FIRST LETTER. FROM NEW YORK TO CEYLON Some Experiences of the Journey ; Opinions of English Manu- facturers Regarding- Ceylon Rubber; Points of Interest in the Tropics; Beautiful Ceylon; A Visit to Typical Hevea Plantations. SECOND LETTER. RESULTS OF EXPERIMENTS AT THE ROYAL BOTANICAL GARDENS . . 22 Growth of Hevea and its Yield at Various Ages; Canker Fungus and its Treatment; Plantation Scenes. THIRD LETTER. A VISIT TO THE NEW EXPERIMENT STATION, THEN TO CULLODEN 37 Tapping Rubber Trees at Peradeniya Garden ; Ficus Elastica Seventy-five Years Old; Prospective Increase in Planting; Rainfall and Labor ; Some Incidents of Travel ; Library of ' Singalese Sacred Literature; The Para Output from Ceylon; The Weeding of Crops in the Island. FOURTH LETTER. SOME PROFITABLE DAYS SPENT AT CULLODEN 40 Hevea Trees at the Beautifully Laid Out Tea Estate; Night Tapping; Results of an Experiment in Scraping the Outer Bark from the Trees ; An Oil made from Seeds of The Rubber Tree; A Rubber Drying House and Methods of Coagulation; Some Valuable Information Gleaned from Visits to Other Rubber Plantations. FIFTH LETTER. FROM CEYLON TO THE MALAY STATES 65 Arrival at Singapore; A Word About the Seat of 'Govern- ment; Visit to Royal Botanical Gardens; Hevea Re- sponds to Cultivation Here; Phenomenal Growth; Dis- tance Planting; Castilloa and Ceara Less Promising A Visit to Chinese Merchant Quarters Where Gutta Percha is Prepared for European Markets ; Pro- cesses Watched with Interest; From Singapore to Selangor. CONTENTS SIXTH LETTER. DAYS SPENT WITH PROFIT IN SELANGOR 80 Rubber Plantations at Klang; Distance of Planting-; Age at Which Hevea Trees Yield ; The Labor Question ; The Chinese as Rubber Planters ; The Selangor Rubber Company ; Return to Singapore and Departure for Hong Kong. ISTHMUS OF TEHAUNTEPEC FIRST LETTER. ON THE WAY TO THE LAND OF THE CASTILLOA 95 The Mining City of Zacatecas ; Queretara Where Maxi- milian Was Executed ; Mexican Opals ; The Eternal Snows of Popocatepetl and Ixtaccihuatl ; From the City of Mex- ico to Achotal ; Experiences at the Latter Town ; First Sight of Cultivated Rubber. SECOND LETTER. PROSPEROUS PRIVATE PLANTATIONS 115 Careful Study of the Situation Proved to Investors that Rubber Would be More Profitable than Coffee; Results of Planting in Favorable and Unfavorable Conditions ; Continual Tapping Showed Latex Given Out by All Trees; Knowledge of Climatic Conditions Neces- sary to Successful Planting; La Junta; The Laborers. THIRD LETTER. A GRASP ON THE RUBBER PLANTING SITUATION 130 Clearing and Burning by Contract ; Danger from Fires ; Gathering Castilloa Seeds ; Costly Seed Failures ; The Journey to Coatzacoalcos ; Morning Glory Vines ; The Problem of Tapping and Preparing for Market. FOURTH LETTER. ACROSS THE ISTHMUS 1 44 Views of Many Plantations ; Vast Tracts of Land Needing Only Irrigation to Make Them Valuable ; Mexican Laws ; Animals and Insects of the Temperate Zone ; Manner in Which Plantations are Taxed ; The Cow Pea and Vel- vet Bean \Vhich Should Receive the Attention of Rubber Growers. CONTENTS NICARAGUA RUBBER INTERESTS IN CENTRAL AMERICA Witnessing a Waterspout ; Through the Lagoons to the Rub ber Plantations; The Manhattan Plantation; Too Much Water Detrimental to Castilloa ; The Rainfall; Sim Irons' Rubber Groves and Cukra Plantations: Careful Tap- ping; Four Hundred Thousand Castilloas in This Vicinity a Conservative Estimate; A Scale that Affects the Rubber Trees ; Samples Brought to United States and Examined at th e Connect- icut Agricultural Experiment Station at New Haven ; Letters from State Entomol- ogist, Connecticut, and Acting Chief of Bureau of Entomology at Wash- ington; Treatment Suggested for Extermination of "the Pest. COSTA RICA A PLANTATION OF OVER ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND CASTILLOAS. 185 Bananas the Chief Product of the Country Interplanted with Rubber in Many Instances ; Proper Drainage the Onlv Sal- vation for Rubber Trees; Watery Latc.v; Interest 11 Rubber Planting in Costa Rica * Dates Back About Twelve Years; Some' Plantations That are Flourishing. in PANAMA FIRST LETTER To PANAMA IN THE RAINY SEASON . . 201 Colon; Along the Panama Canal; Panama City; Toboga Island ; Quebro Outlaws ; Almost Wrecked ; Ashore at Last ; Castilloa Growing Within One Hundred Feet of the Shore ; Interesting Stories of the Pioneer. SECOND LETTER ROUGHING IT 21 ^ Camp Rio Negro; Castilloa Groves; Birds, Animals, and Reptiles; Trips of Exploration; Coagulating Rubber with Amole Juice; Native Rubber Gathering; Process of Tapping and Tools Used; Trails Cut in Every Direc- tion Followed by Long, Hard Tramps. CONTENTS THIRD LETTER CAMP IGUANA 228 The Forest Primeval ; Bees and Rubber ; A Land Without Law ; Breaking Camp ; Mountain Climbing ; Plantation Las Margharitas ; On Board Quartos Hermanos; Pan- ama, Colon, and New York. COLOMBIA IMPRESSIONS OF THE COUNTRY 245 Journey from the Port of Colombia to Barranquilla : Amus- ing Hotel Experiences in That City; The Stay in Carta- gena; Little Information to be Gained About Rubber; Meeting Mr. Granger, L^nited States Consular Agent at Quibdo; His Interesting Account of the Reason for the Present Lack of Interest in Rubber Plant- ing; His Prophesy for the Future Based upon Present Well Founded Indications. JAMAICA OUTLINES OF A FLYING TRIP 263 A W^ord Concerning the Island of Jamaica; Information from the Departtment of Agriculture; A Visit to Castleton Gardens; Something About the Rubber Produced There and the Conditions Attending it ; Hope Gardens ; Hevea and Castilloa ; The Milk Withe. HAWAII RUBBER CULTURE IN THE SANDWICH ISLANDS 279 The First Sight of Hawaii ; A Bit of the History of the Sand- wich Islands ; Temperature, Crops, etc. ; Prospects for Rub- ber Growth ; First Rubber Plantings ; The Nahiku Rubber Company, Limited ; Principal Planting Done by United States Settlers. RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON AND THE MALAY STATES FIRST LETTER. CROSSING THE ATLANTIC ENGLISH MANUFACTURERS AND CEYLON RUBBER ON BOARD THE HIMALAYA STROMBOLI PORT SAID AND THE SUEZ CANAL THE RED SEA AND ADEN BEAUTIFUL CEYLON AT THE GALLE FACE HOTEL SINGALESE, TAMILS AND CHINESE QUAINT CUSTOMS DIRECTOR WILLIS, OF PERADENIYA AND HENERATGODA THE OLDEST PLANTATIONS OF HCVEA IN A BULLOCK ''HACKERY" TO HENERATGODA GARDENS. TO those who are interested as to why I chose the Leyland liner, Devonian, to carry me across the Atlantic at the beginning of my journey toward the Far East, I beg to explain that she is a big, roomy, seaworthy craft of 11,000 tons, that there were only six passengers all told, and although she carried some eight hundred cattle, they did not appear on the deck, or at table, nor would one have dreamed of their existence, once they were driven abdard. The ten days that were occu- pied in crossing, spent chiefly on the promenade deck playing quoits with the ship's doctor, put me in fine trim for the brief view of Liverpool and London that I had before the alleged train de luxe bore me to Marseilles, to join the P. and O. steamship, the Himalaya. My stop in England was only long enough to allow me to see a few of the leading rubber manu- facturers, and get their ideas as to the value of the new Para rubber that Ceylon planters are sending to that market. One who has probably used as much of this rubber, or more than any other, summarized his experience as follows : "It shrinks on the aver- age about 1.4 per cent. I use it successfully in all grades of fine work, including cut sheet, but do not like it for cements. It stands all tests after vulcanization compression, stretch and return, oils, etc., just as well as fine Para, and is perfectly satisfactory." Another detailed the results of his own experiments thus : "This is a general summing up of the practical results, obtained from approximately two tons of rubber, from about twenty different plantations. The irregu- larity in quality is very great, varying from tough elastic gum, apparently equal to Manaos Para, to soft, sticky short rubber, with little more elas- 4 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON ticity than recovered rubber. This irregularity I find in all the forms of pancakes, whether thick or thin, translucent or opaque, except those which have been smoked; which, whether owing to the smoke or some other reason, have in the lots (from three separate plantations) which I have tested, proved even in quality throughout. I have been favored by one plantation with unsmoked samples (separately treated and marked) from eighteen year old trees, and from young five year old trees. Each of these samples proved regular throughout, but the quality was very different, that from the old trees being tough and very elastic, while that from the young trees was soft and green. It appears to me, therefore, probable that the irregularity I have noted in the quality of shipments may arise from the varying ages of the trees, and that until they have reached abso- lute maturity, the latex of one season's planting should not be mixed with that of younger or older trees, but that each year should stand on its own merits to attain regularity in quality. The smoked samples may have come from old trees only, and the smoke perhaps had nothing to do with the quality. This want of regularity utterly shuts out Ceylon rubber from fine work, such as thread, cut sheet, bladders, etc., and as the strength of a chain is but that of its weakest link, it cannot at present, for general work, be classed higher than the good mediums. For the special purpose of making cement, however, it has found a place for itself on account of its extreme cleanliness, and the very convenient form of the pancakes in which it is shipped, practically ready for the naphtha bath. I believe in a great future for rubber planting, properly carried out. It might be done by the government forest department, and the trees rented when old enough." Thus the only "out' 7 about the rubber, from the viewpoint of the user, seemed to be the presence of immature, or partly cured gum, some- thing to be expected when the fact is remembered that the plantations are young and the planters without long experience in gathering or pre- paring for market. The added fact that it brings the highest price in the market led me to believe that I had before m? a most inter- esting series of plantation visits, once I should reach Ceylon and the Federated Malay States. As I said, therefore, I took train at Dover, crossed the channel, landed at Calais (so called from the way they handle one's luggage), shivered all the night in the absurd little French train de luxe, and finally arriving at Marseilles, stepped aboard the steamer that was to be my home for nearly three weeks. In due course we left the granite quays, the shipping, and the splendid limestone cliffs of the French port behind AND THE MALAY STATES 5 and settled down to the Mediterranean trip. We passed through the straits of Bonifacio in the night, so that I had no chance to observe, or photograph, and the next morning we were out of sight of land. The day following we all started in to get acquainted. I was the only Ameri- can aboard, the major part being English people who had interests in India, Ceylon, or Australia, and some even were going beyond to Hong- kong and Yokohama. I had thought to do some writing on this voyage, but some kindly soul put me on the "amusements committee," and what with tourna- ments for deck quoits, cricket, ball, needle and cigarette races, etc., not to speak of two concerts, my time was pretty well taken up. My revenge THE AMUSEMENTS COMMITTEE. [On H. M. S. "Himalaya."] came with the concerts, however. I made a speech at each, relating vari- ous well known American stories as personal experiences, and they were most -enthusiastically received. As the British are firmly convinced that all Americans are speech makers, it is well for those who propose to travel with them to prepare to be called upon. On the night of November 21, we had a splendid view of the volcano of Stromboli, which gave us a veritable special exhibition. The night was moonless, and the sea as smooth as glass. About nine o'clock we 6 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON caught the first red glow of the crater, and two hours later we were near enough to dimly discern the outline of the cone shaped island mountain, and to see plainly the red lava torrents that tumbled down its sides and were quenched in the sea. We all staid up until the island was lost to sight, and left the deck only when a faint reflection on the gathering clouds was all there was left to us of one of the most impres- sive sights. We passed the straits of Mycenae so early in the morning that none of us were up, and on Monday we saw Crete in the distance. By this time the boat had developed a pretty fair roll, but few were ill, and the deck games went on that is, for the men. On Tuesday noon we were behind the breakwater at Port Said and surrounded by coaling scows, crowded by dirty Arabs who did the coaling with baskets. As the air was full PORT SAID WATER FRONT. of coal dust a half dozen of us secured a boat and went ashore, spending the afternoon in roaming the sandy streets, followed by a crowd of beg- gars, jugglers, pox-pitted street venders, sellers of indecorous photo- graphs, and all of ^the riffraff of the nastiest of all the cities of the Orient. Port Said is built on soil, chiefly sand, that was dumped there dur- ing the excavation of the canal. It is a busy, bustling place, due to the constant arrival and departure of steamers. It has a fair harbor made AND THE MALAY STATES J by two breakwaters, that extend out into the shallows, one 7,000 feet, the other 6,000 feet. We expected to get away early the next morning, but the mail from Brindisi being late, it was four o'clock in the afternoon before we en- tered the canal. According to rules, we steamed at four miles an hour, tying up to the bank when another boat was met. As we passed by three during the night, this occasioned quite a delay. It was cool, and a light overcoat was necessary after the sun set, but we did not stay long on deck as both sand flies and mosquitoes were quite abundant. In the light of our own American canal projects, it is interesting to remember that the Suez plan was entertained and dismissed as im- practicable by Napoleon I, who was advised by his engineers that the Red Sea was thirty-three feet higher than the Mediterranean, and later when M. de Lesseps had proved that the difference in levels was but six IN THE SUEZ CANAL. inches, such an eminent authority as Robert Stephenson declared the plan to be commercially unsound. There was also a rival plan brought out for a 250-mile canal from Alexandria to Suez. Nevertheless the great work was completed. It is one hundred miles long, only about one-quar- ter of it being artificially made, the rest traversing natural lakes such as Bitter Lake and Lake Timsah. The plan of the canal was for a depth of twenty-six feet, the bottom of the ditch being seventy-two feet wide and the top about three hundred feet. This was carried out in places, but where the digging was especially hard it is .somewhat narrower. The canal shows a slight current, and slowly though the boats go through it, 8 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON there is a constant crumbling of the sandy banks so that a force of steam dredgers is employed keeping the channel clear, nor is this work allowed to flag for an hour. The next morning we were still hemmed in by sandy banks, and the scenery was not inspiring, being varied only by small stations about which clustered a few lebec trees, the big dredges and an occasional native boat with its huge yards and dingy sail. Passing both the old and the modern cities of Suez, we left the canal and were in the gulf of Suez. Here the water was of a marvelous blue, the sun brilliant, and the far off, lofty sand dunes, scored and seamed by winds and rain, showed wonderful effects in yellow, brown, violet and purple. Here we began to get the warm weather. With Asia on our left, Africa on our right, and both in sight, a smooth sea and blazing sun, white flannel and duck suits soon appeared ; the punkahs were started in the dining saloon, and the whole of the deck shaded by both top and side awnings. Wind scoops were also placed in the open ports, and we felt at last that we were in the tropics. The next point of interest to be noted was the Daedelus shoal, from which our Captain Broun once rescued one hundred and eighty souls, who, escaping from the wreck of their vessel, were gathered in a shiver- ing crowd, waist deep in water. We had a further evidence of the genuineness of the hot weather the next morning at three o'clock, when the order came to close the ports as the water was slopping into the cabins. How most of them stood it I don't know, but I took a blanket and went on deck, and even then it was stifling. At daybreak we passed the "twelve apostles," a dozen big rocks rising abruptly from the sea, a grim weather beaten row. It was near here that the Turkish government, after much pressure, erected fine light-houses furnished with the latest illuminating devices, but after keeping them lit for two weeks, the lights went out and not a glimmer have they shown since. As navigation is a bit perilous herea- bouts, and mariners need the lights, it is just as well perhaps, that I did not make careful note of the quartermaster's opinion of the unspeak- able Turk, given as he told me the story. The days were now long, hot, and a bit monotonous. Shut out as we were on the promenade decks by canvas walls, the peeps that we got at the sea showed a glare of light that was almost unbearable. The only relief was when a sudden drenching shower obscured the sun and we got glimpses of mountainous islands, distant peaks, and still more distant ranges. We were fortunate, however, in seeing the volcanic island Jebel AND THE MALAY STATES 9 Tair, and later Mocha, Mt. Sinai having been passed in the night. With a glorious setting of the sun over Somaliland, we passed through the straits of Bab-el-Mandeb, by the barren island Perim, and the next morning cast anchor in the harbor at Aden. It must have been two o'clock in the morning when I awoke and found that we were at anchor. The sound that brought me to a sense of my surroundings, and the insufferable heat of the cabin, was the chanting of a gang of coolies who were warping a huge freight scow up to our steamer. Their song was the iteration of two phrases that sounded like "Esco darn ye ! Perri go darn ye !" and with each "darn" they all gave a pull. Besides this, there was a constant chatter from a half hundred boatmen, that drove me on deck, where wrapped in a rug, and lying in the scuppers, I got a few more winks. Aden is as uninteresting as it is unhealthy. It is well called "the white man's grave," as hundreds lie buried on its rocky slopes. It is built on a flat, sandy, treeless plain, hemmed in by hills, arid and barren to the last degree. It rains here regularly once in three years, and the water is stored in huge tanks five miles away up in the hills. Anyone who wishes to enjoy a long cool -drink, and then another, should seek this thirstiest of all thirsty spots. It was here that the passengers whose destination was India were transferred to another steamer. And sorry we were to have them go, for many friendships had been formed which were of the sort that should continue. Here left, tco, a young man who had not only been my partner at deck quoits, but who had given me much information about America. Shall I ever forget the evening, just after our excellent course dinner, when he said to me, with the kindest of intonations : "Don't you miss the sweets (candy) between the courses?" "What sweets?" was my bewildered query. "Why, you know, in America, at a course dinner, they serve sweets after the soup, and the fish, and the entree, and right through the dinner." I had no vivid remembrance of that custom myself, but his faith in the exactness of his information was so great that it would have been a sin to upset it, so I agreed that I was pining for chocolate creams after the consomme, and molasses candy as a chaser for the fish, and it made him my friend for life, for which I am exceedingly glad, as in spite of that one absurd idea, he was one of the finest chaps I ever met. Speaking of the people one meets in distant lands, it is sad to say that one's own countrymen are often the biggest freaks. I met one of the freak sort later. He had not been in the smoking room ten minutes io RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON before he had told his whole history, and got every Briton and European there white hot by his comparisons, invidious and startling. In the midst of it I was pointed out to him as a fellow countryman, and he tried to get me into the fight, but I balked. Then he started in to impress me with his importance. "I come from God's country,'' he said, "but I've been all over every- wheres. I used to be consul at A . I lecture, too. When I was consul at A I often used to go aboard a man-of-war and lecture, sometimes for two or three hours, and I always got seven guns ; what do you think of that?" ''Mighty poor shooting, so far, but they will get you some day/' I said with conviction. BREAKWATER AT COLOMBO, CEYLON. After leaving Aden I was able to secure an upper deck cabin, which was much cooler than those either on the main or spar decks. Now that we were in the Indian Ocean, the sea grew much smoother, and early in the morning, after a salt water bath, the men promenaded the deck in pajamas until eight o'clock, after which ordinary clothes were required. We now began to feel the breath of the monsoon, while the water took on an even bluer blue, and flying fish in shoals fled to right and left from the onrushing ship. The heaviest sort of showers also began to come with more or less regularity, the ship's officers came out in white duck suits, prawn, fish, and other currys appeared at dinner, and we knew that we were in the tropics. On the evening of December 5, we sighted Minecoi Island, a low lying, circular bit of land crowded with graceful cocoanut palms, and AND THE MALAY STATES n a well-known copra producing place. On the day following, at 1.15 in the morning, we passed behind the great breakwater and dropped anchor in Colombo harbor, in the midst of a great fleet of passenger and tramr> steamers of all nations, native boats, lighters, etc. Most of the men aboard were on deck, although pa jama-clad, and as the coaling was soon to begin, I went ashore, passed the little black customs inspector without difficulty, and, getting in a jinrikisha, was soon at the Galle Face Hotel and sound asleep in a big wide bed that seemed delightfully steady when contrasted with even the comfortable berths of the Himalaya. PADDY [RICE] FIELD IN CEYLON. It may, perhaps, be well just here to refresh the reader's knowledge of Ceylcn with the following facts. The island lies south of India proper, and is two hundred and seventy-one miles long and one hundred and thirty-seven miles broad, and contains about 24,700 square miles. It has under cultivation, or used for pasture, some 3,500,000 acres more than a fourth of its area. Of this about 520,000 acres are devoted to rice and other grains, the next largest planting being tea, of which there are about 400,000 acres. Other important products are cocoanuts, spices, coffee, sugar, cacao, tobacco, essential oil grasses, etc. The population of the island is about 3,500,000, of which less than 10,000 are Europeans. The majority of the natives are Singalese, of 12 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON whom there are over 2,000,000, the other races being Tamils (of whom there are nearly a million), Burghers, Eurasians, Moors, Malays, Vedahs (aborigines), and so on. The island has an excellent government of the paternal sort, admin- istered by a governor who is appointed by the King of Engand. He is assisted by an executive council of five, but has power to overrule their advice. There is also a legislative council of nine, including members of the executive, together with eight unofficial appointed by the governor, representing the mercantile and planting interests and the native com- munities. CATAMARAN WITH SAIL., CEYLON. The island became a British possession in 1795. Prior to this the Dutch, who had held it for 138 years, had 1 wrested it from the Portuguese, who ruled it for 141 years. Interesting reminders of both of these conquests are found in the high-sounding Portuguese names that many of the Singalese bear, and in the Burgher types which remain quite Dutch, both in name and appearance. Neither the Dutch nor the Portu- guese had ever conquered the whole of the island, which was accom- plished by the British in 1815. Since then there have been a few rebellions, which, however, were easily suppressed. During the last one, in 1848, some 2,000 up-country Singalese were put to flight by thirty Malays who wore the British uniforms, a proof that the ancient warlike spirit of the Kandyans is practically extinct. AND THE MALAY STATES 13 My first task after I was comfortably settled at the Galle Face was to buy a sun helmet, or topee, which I was lucky enough to find in one of the native stores that occupy the ground floor of the hotel. There are two dangers against which visitors to this part of the world must guard most carefully ; one is exposure to the sun, and the other a sudden chill. In no part of the world, if reports are true, is the sun so deadly as here, but the danger may be reduced to a minimum if one will but listen to the advice of the older residents, and take reasonable precautions. A pith sun helmet is indispensable, as straw or felt hats are sources of STREET SCENE IN COLOMBO. danger, and a cap is worst of all. In addition, one should at first carry an umbrella as well. Nor is the danger present only at midday, or when there are no clouds. It is practically as bad at seven in the morning, or when the sky is wholly covered with clouds. The habits of the dwellers here that is, the Europeans, speak of this danger. Mfen and women wear sun helmets and carry sun umbrellas, while broad verandahs and close lattices guard the houses. Even the railway carriages have, in addition to curtains, visor-like projections to keep out the searching rays I 4 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON of Old Sol. There have been cases even of sunstroke through the or the single / was the best with records carefully kept and compared to lead to the right conclusion. Then, too, experiments by the score were made to find what part of the tree was the best to tap, whether near the base or high up on the trunk. In addition to this, a long series of experiments in the coagu- FICUS ELASTICA; PERADENIYA GARDEN. [Showing spreading buttressed roots.] lation of the latex were instituted both by centrifugal machinery and by the employment of a variety of acids. It is due directly to this investi- gation that the Ceylon planter to-day, if he wishes to hasten the coagu- lation, adds a few drops of acetic acid to the latex. Nor were these experiments done in secret. The results were published and scattered broadcast among planters all through the tropical world, with wonder- ful results for good. After a hasty look at the magnificent palms, of which the garden has more than fifty varieties, the banana, pepper, and other plants, I resumed my hackery, and jolted back to the railway. As the return 30 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON train was not due for half an hour, I went to the "Rest House," a hotel owned by the government and run by a trusty native, where I had an excellent breakfast. I paid the fixed charges, signed my name to the visitors 7 book, saying that I was well pleased, and walking on to the station, caught the train back to Colombo. In the afternoon I hired a jinrikisha, and rode around the town. These "rickshaws" are simply huge perambulators drawn by a half naked coolie who trots along all day content with ten cents an hour (gold). Most of the rickshaws are old and rattley, but a few lately introduced have pneumatic tires, and it is only a question of time before they will all have them. As Director Willis had been good enough to invite me to make my home with him when I went up country to visit the Peradeniya gardens, and as I had only one suit of white flannels, I got the tailor at the Galle Face to make me another. I was measured in the morning and the suit was delivered that evening. It cost ten rupees [=about $3.64] for the making, and the man who delivered it got two rupees, because the tailor, his master, was such a hard man to work for, and the boy who was with the man who delivered it got one rupee because of some affliction that he had suffered, and the dog that accompanied the boy who was with the man well, he didn't get anything, but I vow he sat up and begged just as long as I was in sight. I made an early start for Peradeniya, which means "guava plain," going by the government railway in a very comfortable first-class car that is a sort of compromise between the American smoking car and the English compartment car, and about half the size. The government railways, by the way, are pretty generally good in Ceylon. The equip- ment is all that could be expected, although the cars are small ; the freight cars, for example, being twelve-ton affairs with corrugated iron roofs, and the locomotives look very light. The railway stations, how- ever, are extremely good, and in most of them a white man need not wait at the ticket window, but may march into the agent's sanctum, and get his ticket before the natives are served. The profits that the railroads earn is expended on the carriage roads, a plan that some praise and some condemn. Anyhow, the latter roads are first-class, and an automobilist could go from one end of the island to the other if the elephants did not object. Soon we were bidden to the "refreshment carriage' 7 where a good breakfast was served for about sixty cents, after which I sat on the shady side in my car, and took note of the great paddy fields in which sullen water buffalo wallowed and fed, and where natives, clad only in breech- AND THE MALAY STATES cloths and daubed from head to foot in clayey mud, toiled in a half hearted way. Then the scenery became more interesting as we climbed to higher ground, the road running above a winding valley where great stretches of jungle were broken by banana and rice plantations, with "DENDROCALAMUS GIGANTEUS. [Giant bamboos in the Perademya Gardens, showing the young shoots, and a section of one.] occasional glimpses of splendid government carriage roads, while rugged mountain ranges in the distance made an effective background. Every now and then we stopped at a neat railway station, crowded with natives, interspersed with a few Europeans, for whom, by the way, the first-class waiting rooms and cars are always reserved. Between 32 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON Polgahawela and Rambukkana, by the side of the track, is a very con- siderable plantation of Hevea, covering some sixty acres, the trees being planted about eight feet apart. They are about three years old, and would average, for a guess, thirty feet in height. Further on, as we still ascended, the valley below was often a series of terraced paddy plots for miles. Then as we still skirted the valley, PERArENIYA GARDEN. [Mr. Carruthers inoculating a young Hei'ea with Canker.] which was farther and farther below us, we crept through many tunnels, clung to the sides of precipices, getting occasional glimpses of Adam's Peak, the famous mountain of the island, and still far below, we saw winding through the jungle crossing rivers the white roads, hard, smooth, wide, equal to any park roads at home, and then up, up, we climbed, the cabbage palms, bread fruit trees, and tropical growths now finding their home on the rocks, or in the wash of steep mountain ravines. AND THE MALAY STATES 33 The air was rapidly growing drier, a decided relief after the steamy atmosphere at the sea level : nor did I note the heat as I leaned out to see as much as possible of the great tea plantations that now filled the valleys, and encroached often on the steep hill and mountain sides. The soil, where it was in evidence, had a reddish look, and would not suggest fertility were it not for the luxuriant growth it produced. After a journey, full of intense interest, we reached Peradeniya station, and, alighting from the train, I found Director Willis awaiting me. One of his coolies took my luggage in charge, while his master and I walked up the broad, shaded road that runs by the beautiful entrance FICUS BENGALENSIS BANYAN TREE [In the main street at Kalatnra.] to the Royal Botanic Gardens, A few minutes brought us to the Willis bungalow, a very pretty two-story house, set on a little eminence, and hemmed in with foliage plants, flowers, and magnificent shade trees. As the new governor of Ceylon, Sir Henry Blake, had requested the presence of my host in Colombo, he turned me over for the moment to Mr. J. B. Carruthers, F. L. s., the mycologist and assistant director. Mr. Car- ruthers, by the way, had but just returned from a month's visit to various Hevea plantations, where he had been studying the canker that had appeared upon some of the Hevea trees. He was of the opinion that 34 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON the alertness of the planters in discovering the disease in its first stages, and calling for expert advice, would result in its extinction before serious harm came to the trees. The disease, although new to the Hevea as far as known, has long been an enemy to apple trees, cacao, tea, etc., and frequently kills the tree cr shrub upon which it grows. Mr. Carruthers, when first it appeared, examined portions of diseased trees, and recognized the fungus as a species of nectria. He then visited both Jhe government planta- tions of Hevea and the larger private plantations. In one district, Kala- tura, he found only one tree in two hundred affected, but ontheEdan- goda estate, twenty per cent, of the trees were diseased; while at Yati- porua there were forty per cent. The appearance of the fungus on the trees is a swelling or roughening of portions of the tree trunk or branches. If the outer bark is cut off, the tissue beneath shows at first a neutral tint, and later a brownish or claret color. When the fruit of the fungus ripens, it is a very minute red dot which is carried by the wind, by water, or by tree insects, to a moist spot -on the bark of the same or another tree, and there it thrives, and soon fills the tissues with its mycelium. It was practically eradicated by cutting out the diseased portions and the burning of them. This is best done in dry weather. Nor did the cutting of the trees appear in any way to weaken them or hinder their growth. Mr. Carruthers had brought with him some cultures with which he proceeded to inoculate a young Hevea tree, while I stole aWay into the grass with my back to the sun, turned my kodak upon him, and pressed the button. A moment later, happening to glance downward, I saw that the grass was fairly alive with leeches, all making their way toward me. I retreated very hastily, and at once began a frantic search for them about my person. I found a lot on my shoes, trousers, and outer clothing, but was lucky enough to remove the last one before getting bitten. Speaking of insect pests, there are very few in Ceylon that are troublesome to man at least I saw or felt but few. The mosquito was, of course, more or less in evidence, but I did not get too badly bitten. I did, however, resent its mode of attack. It does not approach you with a song, but, in a silent, crafty, suspicious way, alights, bites, and flees. So suspicious is the creature that it is almost impossible to clap it on the back, as is the custom in America when he has succeeded in punc- turing one's epidermis. It, therefore, has no friends, and beds every- where are enclosed in huge muslin screens ; otherwise one would be constantly bored. AND THE MALAY STATES 35 There is also the leech. It lives, not in the water, but in the grass, and in the jungle. When exercising on an empty stomach, it is very small, about the diameter of a knitting-needle, and from one-half to one and one-half inches in length. On hearing footsteps, it hastens toward the sound, getting over the ground at a surprising rate of speed for so tiny a creature, and without hesitation attacks instantly. If left to themselves, they fill themselves with blood, swelling to the size of one's little finger, and then drop off. Nor does this end the incident, for during their meal they inject something into the veins, which keeps YOUNG HEVEA TREES. [Planted among tea along a watercourse, in Kalatura.] the blood from clotting, and the wound therefore remains open and goes on bleeding. If roughly removed during feeding, it is very apt to leave its teeth in the wound, which causes inflammation, and, in some cases, troublesome sores. The best way to treat them is to wear close-knit stockings, into which the lower ends of the trouser legs should be tucked. This keeps most of them off, but if they do get on one, a few drops squeezed from a fresh lime makes them let go at once. Many of the natives, who expect to encounter leeches, carry a lime or two with them. Others simply pull them off, and take the chance of having an inflamed wound. In certain districts these leeches are a great pest, but as the land comes under cultivation, they gradually disappear. It is said 3 6 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON that during the conquest of the island by the British, many a private soldier lay down in the jungle after an exhausting day's march and never awoke, his veins being literally drained dry by the swarming leeches. They are as tough as if made of India-rubber, and about the only way to kill them is with fire. If cut in two, the separated parts will join together again, and they are always voracious, active, and absolutely devoid of fear. -AND THE MALAY STATES 37 THIRD LETTER. TAPPING RUBBER TREES AT PERADENIYA GARDEN VISIT TO THE NEW EXPERI- MENT STATION SEVENTY-FIVE YEAR OLD Ficus ELASTICA THE STUMP SPEECH KANDY TEMPLE OF THE SACRED TOOTH HOTEL TIPS ON THE WAY TO KALATURA EARLY TEA AT THE "REST HOUSE" M^. HARRISON AND CULLODEN ESTATE. SPEAKING again of canker, and the absence of the disease on the South American Hevea trees, Mr. Carruthers said that it was quite possible that individual trees there might have been attacked by it, but as the trees are wild, and grow singly, the disease, after exhaust- ing its victim, would probably die out, as it would have no other Hevea SATIN WOOD BRIDGE, PERADENIYA. near enough to reach. This, of course, led up to what has been proved since planting of any sort has been carried on on any considerable scale. That is, the occurrence of diseases and insects unknown before, but which found in great plantings of a single kind the most favorable field for rapid growth and reproduction. 38 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON It was while discussing these subjects that we visited the adminis- tration buildings of the gardens. They are neat and business like, and with their tropical setting form a very pretty picture. We visited the museum, where sections of the woods, in which the island is very rich, are displayed ; while seeds, fruits, and everything pertaining to the life of the plant growths are carefully prepared and preserved. He also showed me the offices of Director Willis, his own laboratory where some very interesting experiments in determining the vitality of the Hevea nut were then being carried on introduced me to Mr. E. E. Green, F. E. s., the government entomologist, and then led me to some of the fifteen-year-old Para trees, which we tapped. It was really too ' HEVEA ' AT EDANGODA. [Government Forest Department plantation, 8 years old. Mr. F. Lewis, assistant conservator of forests.] near the middle of the day for the latex to do more than ooze out very slowly. The tool used is well known. It only needed a very few cuts with it, however, to convince me of its usefulness ; indeed, for the Hevea it is far superior to any form of machete that I have seen. The incision is really a drawing cut that takes out a strip of bark, laying the cambium bare. The cut is clean, small and may be made by the most unskilled coolie with but little chance of" injuring the tree. I had with me a small two-bladed tapping-axe, invented by a friend in the United States, which I had brought along to test. We all tried it, but the simple little tool far AND THE MALAY STATES 39 outdistanced it. Leaving the collecting and straining of the latex to the coolies, Mr. Carruthers took me to his bungalow for breakfast, which meal occurs at noon, and there we discussed various phases of rubber planting. In referring to the government plantations of Hevea, he said that there were about one hundred and fifty acres now planted, and it had not been decided yet just how they would be administered. According to his figuring, these plantings cost about 1,200 rupees [=$389.32] an acre when matured. If they are to be leased under proper restrictions, the opinion seemed to be that the government should not reap more than five per cent, interest on its venture. But most of the experts think that it would be better for the government to sell the plantations as near cost as possible. For further information he referred me to Mr. F. Lewis, the assistant conservator of forests, Colombo. The following morning we crossed the Mahaweli River, a deep, swift, muddy stream flowing by the gardens, to visit the great experi- ment stations that are under the charge of Mr. Herbert Wright, A. R. c. s. There is no bridge, so one is ferried across in a very narrow wooden dugout, with the usual outrigger one side to prevent upsetting. This experiment garden is new, and contains about 1,200 acres, I believe, and takes in the native villages of Gangaruwa and Yatiyalagala. Mr. Wright kindly piloted me over the sections devoted to rubber planting. Just to see what the Castilloa and the Ceara rubber will do in that climate under varying conditions ; he has many different plots, both in the shade and in the open. Perhaps the most interesting is the planting of the former where it is shaded by cocoanut trees. All of these rubber plots were small of course, and the trees very young, so that at the present it is impossible to say what results will be attained. As we walked about the place, it occurred to me to learn just how hot it was, and I found that it was 127 F. in the sun, and the guess was that it was about 85 in the shade. As we were in the sun most of the time, we had no reason to feel a chill. In the afternoon, Director Willis having returned, we had a look at the Ficus elastica trees planted some seventy-five years ago. They are huge growths, and unlike the Straits trees of the same name, do not send down aerial roots, but instead form great root buttresses. They produce little if any latex, as my own tapping experiments abundantly proved. Further than that, they are dying, so that every now and then it becomes necessary to fell one of them, for if it unexpectedly dropped its one hundred and fifty feet of length across the carriage road, a serious accident might result. 40 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON Speaking of the Hevea plantings in the island, Mr. Willis said that at that time there were about 11,000 acres, and as the annual production of seeds was about 3,000,000, he thought that the planting increase PERADENIYA GARDEN. [Planted Castilloa elastic a and cacao/ would be about 5,000 acres annually. He said that the Hevea could undoubtedly be planted in sheltered valleys, up to 4,000 feet altitude. In many situations the trees would mature more slowly, their growth depend- ing upon the rainfall, and the richness of the soil. At Peradeniya those AND THE MALAY STATES 41 that had matured more slowly had produced latex as good and abundant as had the others. The Castilloa had proved itself more tender than he could wish, and the general sentiment among the planters was that it would not be as profitable a venture. Speaking of rainfall at Pera- deniya, they could always reckon upon ninety inches quite well distrib- uted. Labor, of course, is very cheap, ten cents a day being the regular wage, shelter being furnished, but not food or clothing. As an incident to this visit, I walked over the gardens, by well-kept roads, shaded by magnificent trees, and visited the "hot house" for orchids. As there is also a tea factory near the gardens, Mr. Willis RUBBER TREES KILLED BY FLOOD. [Part of a Forest Department Hcvea plantation in a valley sub- ject to flood, showing the way in which the flooded trees died.] was good enough to take me through that, and show me every process, the plucking, withering, rolling, drying, sorting, and packing, all of which was most interesting. After taking leave of Director Willis and his good wife, Mr. and Mrs. Carruthers, and all who had made my stay so pleasant, I took the train for Kandy, four miles away, where I planned to spend the afternoon with a steamer friend, and do a bit of sightseeing. As I waited for the train, I was conscious of careful inspection on the part of a man near me. He was a nice, well-fed, self-satisfied old gentle- man, who sat by my side in one of the three cane-seated chairs that stand on the depot platform for the use of the white patrons of the rail- road. 42 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON "You couldn't have cane-bottomed chairs in a railway station in America, now, could you?" said he to me. "Why not?" I asked, much surprised. "On account of the extraordinary habit you Americans have of standing on chairs, and making stump speeches," he responded with con- viction. That he was in dead earnest, and that no denial of mine would affect his belief, one look at his countenance showed. It seemed a pity that he should not add to his store of knowledge along that line, so I said carelessly : "That, of course, used to be so a few years ago. Indeed, it was a great nuisance. In public and private, at the theatre, at concerts, at receptions, even in church, stump speakers would suddenly mount chairs and harangue all in .sight. It was a disease, you know, caused by a germ that was bred in the cotton fields of New Hampshire.* 7 "Fancy!" gasped my listener. "Oh yes, pure and simple," I continued (referring to his exclama- tion). The germ is known as the Septennis vociferens, and I may say modestly that it was due to a little invention of my own that it is no longer feared in America." "How interesting! And pray what was your invention?'* "Is it possible that you never heard of Pearson's Patent Orator Discourager?" I asked with pained surprise. "It sold very well; indeed, I made a comfortable sum out of it. Quite simple it was, but it did the work. It was, in a word, a semi-spherical rubber spring, so placed beneath the chair bottom that when one tried to step there, he was instanly thrown over backwards, the shock killing the germ, but rarely injuring the man. If, however, one sat in the chair, the spring had no effect." "Very ingenious ! A most excellent device ! I congratulate you !" exclaimed my listener, warmly. "Of course, it was only useful in your own country." "I was coming to that. Having sold all I can in America, I am now about to prepare a foreign market for it." "But but no one makes stump speeches here, for instance !" he said. "Ah, that's just it. They don't now, but they will. Our laboratory is working night and day producing healthy cultures of the germ. I am AND THE MALAY STATES 43 traveling around the world planting them everywhere. They are invis- ible, practically. The back of your chair this moment is covered with them where my hand rested before you came along. Here is my train. Good bye." As the train left the station, a once peaceful and self-satisfied ency- clopedia of American habits, with red face and anxious mien, was stand- ing far away from the three chairs, and making a stump speech to a large SENSATION ROCK, NEAR KANDY. crowd of bewildered coolies. Those germs worked so quickly on him that I almost believed in their existence. A few minutes later I was in Kandy, and comfortably established at the Queen's Hotel. The city of Kandy (Hill town) is noted chiefly as having been the seat of the Kandyan kings, the possessor of the temple of the Sacred Tooth, and at the present time for having only one hotel, "The Queen's," 44 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON where a German tourist finds good entertainment for about two dollars a day, while an American or an Englishman must pay five dollars. The city lies in a lovely valley, and is built around an artificial lake, on an island, in the middle of which once stood the royal harem. The walks and drives around the city, over beautifully kept roads that ascend with only the slighest grades, are simply ideal. As a matter of duty, I visited the Buddhist temple of the Sacred Tooth during service. It was after nightfall, and the beating of the tom- toms and noise of conches were almost deafening. I secured a guide at the main entrance, or rather he secured me, and, accompanied by two self-elected explainers, and a boy carrying a lighted candle, we went KANDY LADY HORTON S WALK. from one shrine to another, giving up contributions of small change before each, jostled by crowding worshippers, lacjen with fruit and flowers. Of the things that linger in my memory, the library of Singal- ese sacred literature is most prominent. There are hundreds of volumes, the leaves of the books being strips of fiber from the Tallipot palm, the letters being etched into the surface and then filled with ink. They are beautifully bound in gold and silver, and ornamented with jewels. There was also an image of the god, three feet high, of solid gold, as well as one carved out of a single block of crystal, some ten inches in height. AND THE MALAY STATES 45 Then there were copper, ivory, silver, and gold carving and filigree work that would look just as well in America, but there were too many around. I did not see the Sacred Tooth, which is carefully guarded, and needs an order from the government before one is permitted to view it. The true believers are sure that it was once a part of Buddha's dental equipment, while the scientists say it belonged to a crocodile. I didn't tarry long in Kandy, but took the morning train back to Colombo, as I now had more definite knowledge of the typical planta- tions, and how to reach them, as well as letters to the men in charge. Perhaps, as a hint to others, I should say that when I left the hotel in Kandy, after paying my bill, the following servants put in a claim for tips: Bedroom man, bath man, head porter, waiter, doorman, gharri driver, the porter who puts your bag into the train, and any other native who can catch your eye. It was early in the morning when*the writer and Miguel de Silva r the Singalese plant collector at Peradeniya, who was loaned me by Director Willis, entered rickshaws and started for Slave Island station, on our way to Kalutara. For some distance the railroad follows the sea coast, disclosing the beautiful villas of Europeans, native fishing villages, and the blue sea itself. According to custom, Miguel rode with the natives, and I, in the car reserved for the whites, was not able to question him as I had planned. A friendly planter, however, did explain that the land over which we were passing was very valuable, through the palms which grew upon it, that were used in the production of the native liquor, "arrak." He said also that the ownership of these palms was most complex, one tree often being owned jointly by as many as five natives. I had noticed that many of them had a wattle of reeds braided about the stem some six feet from the ground, and was amused to learn that this was to guard against thieves. It seems that the night climber cannot surmount this apparently flimsy barrier, nor remove it without making such a crackling that the owner is awakened sufficiently to remonstrate usually with a knife. Arriving at Kalutara, Miguel appeared, and with a commanding gesture secured a coolie to carry my bag, and we wended our way to the ''Rest House" for breakfast. As the day was already a scorcher, its broad verandahs, square rooms, and cement floors gave one an impression of coolness which was truly grateful. Here I had ''early tea." consist- ing of ''papaya" (the luscious fruit of the paw paw tree), ham and eggs, bread, butter, and coffee an excellent meal, the whole charge for which was, I believe, one rupee. 4 6 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON After breakfast (I would say "early tea") we secured a gharri, drawn by a horse that must have been a survival of the Portuguese occu- pation, so ancient was he, and started off for Tabeuwana, five miles away, where was another rest house. One advantage of the horse over the automobile, and the slow horse over the fast one, is that it allows one to take in the beauties of the scenery to a greater degree. The languid creature to which I had entrusted myself gave me ample chance to enjoy the cinnamon groves, the cocoanut plantations, and the paddy CEARA RUBBER TREE. [At Polgahawella ; planted about 1886.] fields. Besides this, I was interested in the natives, and when we mean- dered slowly through a village with the houses close to the road, and smelling like a fish glue factory that had soured over night, I simply held my nose, but kept my eyes wide open and saw much that is not set down here. We tarried at the "Rest House" at Tabeuwana only long enough for noon breakfast and then pushed on for Culloden, which, by the way, is in Neboda, or at least that is the nearest postoffice. The roads were good, as all in Ceylon are, and there are some 4,000 miles of them, but the scenery began to show a decided change. The country became more AND THE MALAY STATES 47 hilly, great masses of black gneiss showing out through the luxuriant foliage. Finally, we ascended a long hill, turned into a tea plantation, and leaving the gharri, followed a winding pathway to a pretty bunga- low, situated where it commanded a view of much of the surrounding country and even gave a glimpse of the sea in the far distance. Here I was met and welcomed by Mr. R. W. Harrison, and a neighbor, Mr. J. T. Withers, of Clontarf. It was really too hot just then to start out to view the rubber, so we sat in huge planters' chairs that have broad shelf-like arms that VIEW FROM HILLY ROAD NEAR CULLODEN. extend far out in front, arranged so that the lounger can have his feet as high as his head, and talked planting experiences. Culloclen is, of course, primarily a tea estate, beautifully laid out with fine gravel roads all over it, and not a weed to be seen at any time in all of its broad acres. Indeed, the weeding of crops in Ceylon has been reduced to an exact science. It is all done by contract, and costs thousands of pounds a year, but it effectually stops the danger from fire that an occasional cutting of the weeds invites. 4 8 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON Mr. Harrison, the manager at Culloden, is perhaps the best equipped rubber planter in the island, either from the planting or gathering stand- point. While he is in direct charge of Culloden estate, which, in 1903, produced 10,500 pounds of Para rubber, he had also supervision over the following estates : Heatherly, which produced, the same year, 3, 500 pounds ; FIFTEEN YEAR OLD "HEVEA" TREES. [Planted among tea on an estate in Kalatura.] Tudugala, 6,000 pounds ; Yatupauwa and Edengoda, 5,000 pounds. Thus it will be seen that fully one-half of the early crops of Ceylon Para passed through his hands, and in visiting him I was sure to be at the center of the rubber planting interest. It might be well to remember also that this 25,000 pounds annually, with a decided increase each year, came from about 20,000 trees that on an average are eight years old. AND THE MALAY STATES 49 FOURTH LETTER. RUBBER TREES AND TAPPING AT CULLODEN NIGHT TAPPING RUBBER CURING HOUSE OIL FROM HEVEA NUTS COST OF PARA RUBBER AT COLOMBO ARAPOLA- KANDA ESTATE SMOKING CEYLON RUBBER SUNNYCROFT ESTATE ENEMIES OF THE HEVEA A TOUCH OF FEVER THE FOREST CONSERVATOR A PADDY FIELD EXPERIENCE. AT the close of my first day at Culloden, when the sun had dropped low enough to make it fairly comfortable in the open, at Mr. Harrison's invitation, we started out to see the rubber. The plantation is primarily for tea, the rubber having been planted later through the tea and also in some of the valleys. The land is very rocky, ironstone abounding, but there must -be something in the soil that suits the Hevea, for it flourished wonderfully. The only place where it did not appear to do well was in very low ground, where there wds no drainage. The swampy portions of the land have, therefore, been thoroughly drained; indeed, where some of the seven and eight year old rubber now is there had once been a bog where cattle were wont to get mired. The rubber on this soil, which was very rich, had some three feet of drainage. Of course, it was to be expected that the Hevea would grow in such soil as this, but I must confess that I was amazed to see it flourishing far up on rocky hillsides, and sending its laterals in all directions for food. The Hevea has proved itself, in Ceylon at least, a most voracious surface feeder, and in this connection it is worth while to examine the illustration of the uprooted tree held erect between two cocoanut palms, with the laterals stretched right and left, showing a growth longer than the tree trunk itself. The photograph from which my illustration was made was taken by Mr. J. B. Carruthers, and is most graphic. The tapping of the trees begins just as soon as it is light in the morning, for through the middle of the day the latex does not flow freely, but starts up again about four in the afternoon and is continued until dark. The trees are tapped when they show a girth of two' feet, without regard to their age. No ladders or supports are used in tapping, as it wasn't found profitable to tap higher than a coolie can reach while standing on the ground. The tool is a very simple V-shaped knife with two cutting edges, and a single slanting cut about eight inches long has been found to be best, a tin cup being placed under the lower end of RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON the cut and held in position by forcing its sharp edge under the bark. These cuts, by the way, are about a foot apart, sometimes closer, and all run in the same direction, the herring bone and the V-shaped cuts "HEVEA" RUBBER TREE. [Suspended, to show extensive lateral root growth.] being no more in evidence. The practice is also followed now of cutting a very thin shaving from one side of the cut, every other day; eleven times, in other words, reopening instead of tapping. Before placing AND THE MALAY STATES ths tin cup under the cut, it is rinsed out in cold water to keep the late.r frcm adhering to the tin, and also to keep it from too quick a coagula- tion. While I was there, a very interesting experiment in scraping the outer bark from the trees had just been finished. The results, as far as could be determined, were such a stimulation to the lactiferous ducts that the flow was increased nearly fifty per cent. The oldest trees on this plantation, by the way, are eighteen years, and have produced three pounds a year ; by scraping the outer bark off they expect to get six i "HEVEA" TREES AT CULLODEN. [Seven and eight years old.] pounds a year from each of these. There are only a few of these older trees, however, most of them being seven or eight years of age. All through the rubber orchards on this estate were hundreds of young Para trees that were self sown ; indeed in many places they had come up so thickly as to be a nuisance. The workmen on this estate, one hundred in number, are all Tamil coolies, as the Singalese do not care to work, preferring to cultivate rice, a good crop of which insures them RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON a two or three years' vacation. By the time we had examined a few COrStilloa trees that were planted by way of experiment, night had fallen, and we wended our way back to the bungalow, where, after a hot bath, as is the custom of the country, we sat down to dinner in pajamas, the "punkah walla" stirring the heavy, moist air by most vigorous pulls at the "punkah" cord throughout thv meal. HEVEA TREES AT CULLODEN [Eighteen years old from planting.] The rainfall up here in Kalutara is rather more than down at the coast, being, so I was informed, one hundred and forty-four inches, and the maximum temperature 94 F. While I was there it was unusually dry, yet the rubber looked well and there was a record of six weeks with- out rain, which had no apparent effect upon it. The next morning we AND THE MALAY STATES 53 visited other parts of the plantation, and saw a great deal of fine rubber. At present there is an excellent market for the seed, as so many new plantations are going in. As a better preparation, however, against the time when the seed will be a drug in the market, my host was experi- menting with an oil made from the seeds. With a rude native mill he turned out an oil which the native women eagerly purchased to burn before their gods, while the pressed cake made an excellent food for cattle. During the forenoon I saw a large Ceara rubber tree cut down and it seemed to have no latex in it at alL I also saw a Para rubber tree, SCENE IN KELANI VALLEY, CEYLON. self sown, growing out of a cleft in the rock where there was apparently no soil, the trunk being ten inches in diameter and apparently very thrifty. One of the most interesting features of this plantation was the rubber curing house, where the milk is coagulated and the rubber pre- pared for market. This is a one-story, brick building, 30X80 feet, smelling for all the world like a dairy, as one steps within its doors. At one end of the room is a long table upon which are hundreds of enamelled iron pans, capable of holding about a quart each. Into these pans the milk is poured through a cheese cloth strainer, after having been previ- ously strained in the field. To it is often added a very little acetic acid a few drops only. This is allowed to stand over night, and in the morning there is to be found in each pan a pure white pancake of rubber, soft, spongy, and full of water. Each cake is rolled on a zinc-covered 54 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON table with a hand roller and much of the water thus expressed. The name of the estate is then stamped upon it with either a wooden or metal die, when it is ready for the heater room. The heaters used are simply charcoal ovens, the rubber being spread on wire screens above the fire, and left for three or four hours. By this time the pancakes have lost about 50 per cent, in weight and are beginning to assume a decidedly darker hue. Cakes in the condition described, if in South America, would be immediately marketed, but not in Ceylon. From the heaters they go to drying racks, where they are air dried for a month or six weeks, the RUBBER CURING HOUSE, CULLODEN. time depending somewhat upon the weather, and are shipped only after careful examination as to quality and dryness. The care which the planters are expending upon the preparation of the rubber is the best sort of guarantee that the quality will be sustained, and that the day will come when the name of a plantation on a cake of rubber will tell its value almost to a penny. To follow the rubber a little further, it is, when perfectly satisfactory to the planter, packed in chests, the counter- part of the regulation tea chest, made of "momi' 7 wood that comes in shocks from Japan, each package containing about two hundred pounds. There is also a coarse rubber that is secured by picking the scrap from tapped trees. It is a very excellent rubber, and while I was there it found a market at 3$. 5-Jrf., while the fine was bringing 45. gd. There AND THE MALAY STATES 55 are those who claim that it is unwise to pick the film of rubber out of the tapping wounds in the tree, as there is danger that insects or disease enter there. Such a theory is plausible, but so far I have not heard of ill resulting from such removal of the air dried scrap. This coarse rubber, by the way, was not absolutely clean ; that is, it contained bits of bark, and vegetable matter oftentimes. As labor is so cheap, and there is plenty of water, it could be very easily washed. For this purpose the ordinary corrugated roll washer that is used in the rubber factories has been suggested, but it hardly fits the case, as the scraps are so very small. A more practical plan would be to run them through a winnowing machine such as is used to blow the dirt out of COAGULATING AND PRESSING PARA RUBBER. peas and beans and let the air blast take out as much bark as possible. Then, if necessary, use a washer of the paper engine type to wash and beat the rest out. Of course, for quick drying, the gum should then be sheeted, and either plain or corrugated rolls would accomplish that, and it could hang until dry. There is so little of the scrap, however, that the simple winnowing machine is probably all that would be necessary or profitable. The time will come, however, when the coagulating and drying will have to be done on a different plan. The present method takes up too much room and is too slow. It would be perfectly easy to have coag- ulating pans that would deliver strips of rubber ten feet long, a foot wide, and a quarter of an inch thick. These strips could then be run 56 RUBBER PLANTING IN CEYLON through rolls that would squeeze the excess water out, and at the same time imprint the plantation name every few inches. Then the strips could be hung up to dry and any degree of artificial heat applied that was thought best. There have been suggested, also, a variety of quick coagulating devices, such as endless belts that take a film of milk into a drying cham- ber and deliver it to the other side coagulated and dried. Some such plan may prevail, but as yet the planters are not ready for it. After many experiments the manager at Culloden has satisfied him- self that only the very early morning or the late afternoon are the proper MR. HARRISON S BUNGALOW, CULLODEN. times to tap, as in the middle of the day the flow of latex is almost nothing. The trees are therefore tapped from 4 until 7 A. M., and after 3.30 P. M. and as long as it is light. Indeed, the collection of the latex is often done by torchlight. As an instance of Mr. Harrison's alertness in getting all he can out of the trees with safety, he told me of a series of experiments that he was about to institute for all night tapping. It 'seems he learned that certain sugar estates did all their cutting of the cane by electric light, and that the amount of saccharine matter secured was much larger than in the daytime, and as the habit of the-//fr