The  soil  throughout  the  rubber-growing  districts  is
a  gritty  and  somewhat  sandy  red  loam.  A  large  pro-
portion of  the  planted  sections  were  cultivated  many
years  before  the  introduction  of  the  rubber  industry,
and  humus  and  topsoil  have  been  washed  away  by
constant  heavy  rainfall.  Many  plantations  are  located
on  rocky  hillsides,  and  the  trees  are  thriving  under
those  conditions.  To  remedy  the  effects  of  the  loss  of
topsoil,  the  practice  of  manuring  has  become  accepted
as  a  necessity  on  nearly  all  plantations,  and,  as  a
general  rule,  this  work  is  commenced  immediately
the  young  trees  are  planted.  The  usual  practice  is  to


CEYLON  133

apply  840  pounds  of  superphosphates,  mixed  with  other
artificial  fertilizers,  per  acre  during  the  first  six  years
of  the  plantation,  and  subsequently  to  continue  this
treatment  after  the  trees  reach  the  tapping  stage.
Green  crops  also  are  grown  amongst  young  trees  for
purposes  of  manuring,  and  this  method  has  given  some
excellent  results.  It  remains  to  be  seen  how  far
manuring  will  benefit  the  trees  when  further  develop-
ment causes  them  to  resume  a  forest  character.
/  The  rubber  industry  in  Ceylon  owes  its  foundation
to  seeds  collected  in  1876,  by  Mr.  Wickham,  in  the
Amazon  Valley.  These  were  germinated  at  Kew,  and
plants  were  then  sent  to  Ceylon,  and  set  out  in  the
gardens  at  Heneratgoda  and  Peradeniya.  Seeds  from
these  trees  were  distributed  freely  to  owners  of  estates
between  1881  and  1891  ;  but  the  idea  prevailed  that
only  marshy  ground  was  suitable  for  their  growth,  and
therefore  little  interest  was  taken  in  their  cultivation.
