H.N. Ridley, rubber's foster-father (left), with an assistant standing next to a rubber tree in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, c. 1905 (From Gardens Bulletin Straits Settlements, Vol. 1).
Rubber tapping is something new that I learned since 3 weeks ago. What happened is that in the 4ac nature farm where we plant oil palm (mainly) and other crops such as serai kampong, serai wangi, jatropha, limau kasturi are found several rubber trees grown wild from seeds. At first I thought of getting rid of them by pollarding (bark ringing) but decided to learn tapping.
I bought a used, sharp tapping knife (RM5) from Ipoh Sunday market. My brother-in-law in the kampong gave latex collecting cups (plastic), from the hardware shop in Kg Bali I bought formic acid to coagulate the latex and sudu (3-inch metal funnel) to let the latex to drip into the cup placed below it.
Firstly, the slanting tapping panel half way is made around the rubber trunk. Tapping begins the next morning What a joy to see the latex flowing down the panel and drip into the cup. Since the trees are quite big tapping could be done daily.
The tapping knife needs just to cut a thin sliver of the bark. Care not to cut deep into the wood, just above the cambium. To coagulate the latex a spoonful of 50% strength formic acid is added into the cup as the latex drip into the cup. The next day the coagulated lump in the cup is collected as cup-lump. Without adding formic acid the latex will not have time to coagulate by itself if rain comes in late afternoon.
The tapping knife needs just to cut a thin sliver of the bark. Care not to cut deep into the wood, just above the cambium. To coagulate the latex a spoonful of 50% strength formic acid is added into the cup as the latex drip into the cup. The next day the coagulated lump in the cup is collected as cup-lump. Without adding formic acid the latex will not have time to coagulate by itself if rain comes in late afternoon.
After 3 weeks of tapping I was ready to sell the wet cup lumps at the latex collection station 1km away. Jasmin, the store clerk weighed them, not much, 3kg at RM1.75/kg.
Thus, I completed a full cycle of rubber tapping and rejoiced at the experience though late in my life. Well, it better late than never.
Ode to my father, a rubber tapper who brought us up 8 siblings with good education through much hardship.
Thus, I completed a full cycle of rubber tapping and rejoiced at the experience though late in my life. Well, it better late than never.
Ode to my father, a rubber tapper who brought us up 8 siblings with good education through much hardship.
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