Rubber, a crop vital to the economy of Sri Lanka, is a native of the tropical rain forests of South America It was introduced into Sri Lanka in 1876 from seeds collected from the wild trees growing in Brazil. Approximately two thousand seedlings of Sir Henry Wickham's stock were dispatched to Ceylon and were planted in Peradeniya and Henarathgoda. The plants at Henarathgoda flowered for the first time in 1881, when five years old. From then onwards, the development of rubber plantations has been rapid. In 1890, Ceylon had only 300 acres under rubber and, by 1904, it had reached 25,000 acres. This improved growth and yields gave a great incentive for the planters and the acreage rapidly rose to 270,000 ha in 1960, although the present extent is only about 120,000 ha.
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