If  nurseries  have  not  been  formed,  plants  or  stumps
can  be  purchased  at  prices  of  from  15  to  18  guilders
per  1,000.  Many  planters  prefer  planting  seeds  at
stake,  and  on  several  estates  this  method  has  given
excellent  results.  Weeding  should  commence  imme-
diately the  land  is  cleaned  after  the  burn  ;  if  this  work
is  thoroughly  carried  out,  the  estate  will  be  free  of
weeds  at  the  end  of  the  first  year,  and  monthly  weeding
can  then  be  established  at  a  low  cost.  Roads  should  be
made  at  the  time  the  holes  are  cut,  and,  if  any  draining
is  necessary,  that  work  should  have  been  taken  in  hand
simultaneously  with  the  road-making.
During  the  first  year  arrangements  must  be  completed
for  the  construction  of  bungalows  and  other  necessary


252  THE  RUBBER  INDUSTRY

buildings.  Beyond  this  work  and  the  weeding  there  is
little  to  be  done  after  the  estate  is  planted,  until  the  end
of  the  third  year,  except  to  supply  fresh  plants  where
those  originally  set  out  have  died  or  been  damaged,  and
to  keep  a  vigilant  watch  for  the  appearance  of  disease,
white  ants,  or  other  pests.  In  the  third  year  prepara-
tions should  be  made  for  the  erection  of  the  factory,  and
an  appropriate  site  selected.  This  work  should  be
completed  in  the  course  of  the  fourth  year,  when  a
census  of  the  trees  must  be  taken  and  those  of  sufficient
girth  marked  for  tapping.  The  tapping  begins  when  the
trees  measure  16  to  18  inches  in  circumference  at  3  feet
from  the  ground.
