518 FETCH : 



Gardens. Dr. J. C. Willis, who in April, 1899, issued a Circular 

 on " Panama Rubber," in which it was stated that " the 

 probable return in the case of Castilloa is larger than in the 

 case of Para, and its cost of collection is less " ; and " those who 

 intend to make plantations of rubber only would do better to 

 use Castilloa." As a result of this Circular the daily press 

 declared that ' Para may be said to be dethroned " (T. A., 

 XIX., p. 52), but Willis's views were \ngorously combated by 

 Kalutara planters {T. A., XIX., p. 94), and consequently had 

 little influence on the progress of rubber planting. They appear 

 to have been based on the fact that Biffen had succeeded in 

 coagulating Castilloa latex by a centrifugal machine. 



Castilloa was introduced into Singapore from Kew in 1877, 

 and thence was transferred to Kuala Kangsar in the same year. 

 In 1878 there was one tree in the Singapore Botanic Gardens, 

 and one at Kuala Kangsar, both growing welf, and others 

 had been sent to Queensland. In 1882 the tree at Singapore 

 flowered, but no seed was produced. The report of the 

 Singapore Botanic Gardens for 1883 states that "A Wardian 

 case of healthy young plants of the Panama rubber {Castilloa 

 elastica) was received during the year from the Botanic 

 Gardens, Ceylon, and as there is now no fear of losing the 

 plant, the produce of the large plant which we have on hand 

 might be tested and its quaUty ascertained." 



Fifty seedlings of Castilloa were planted at Bukit Mandai 

 (Singapoie) in 1892, and furthei- plants were put out in the 

 Economic Garden in 1898. Six j)lants, presented by Mr. G. 

 Watson, of Selangor, were planted in the Penang Garden in 

 1898, there being no plants there previously, but in 1900 

 Curtis reported that it did not flourish. 



In the annual report of the vSelangor Planters' Association 

 for 1899 it is lecorded that " it has been almost impossible to 

 procure seed of this lubber, but those plants already in the 

 country are doing extremely well, and a large quantity of seed 

 has been booked for 1900." Derry, in the report of the Super- 

 intendent of (jlovernment Plantations, Perak (1899-1900), 

 stated that he had 150 seedlings raised from Ceylon seed. 



G. C. Pearson, in an article on Castilloa in " Modern Mexico " 

 for April, 1903. quotes the yields of Castilloa trees of different 



