504 PETOH : 



pages are based on information from Ceylon, seven from 

 India, and three from Perak. Parkin's Circular on Hevea 

 was published in 1899. 



During the whole of this period the editors of the " Tropical 

 Agriculturist" continued to reprint every available scrap of 

 information concerning rubber, while in 1888, at Dr. Trimen's 

 suggestion, they compiled and published their well-known 

 book " All about Indiarubber and Gutta-percha," which ran 

 through three editions. 



Though not within the hmits adopted for this compilation, 

 it may be recalled that the standard work on Hevea, Wright's 

 "Hevea hrasiliensis,'" was originally pubUshed in Ceylon. 



XV. — Brazilian Methods. 



Several attempts have been made to introduce the tapping 

 and curing methods of the Amazon into the East. It is not, 

 however, always reahzed that the earher tapping experiments 

 imitated Brazihan methods as closely as possible, and that 

 those methods have been discarded in favour of the present 

 style. 



Wickham visited Singapore in 1898, and described the 

 methods of tapping advocated by him (Singapore Report, 

 1898). 



In 1903 M. Bonnechaux, from the Amazons, visited 

 Singapore, and 150 trees were tapped according to his advice 

 (Straits Bulletin, II., p. 44). Coagulation by smoking was 

 attempted, but abandoned in favour of acetic acid. Numerous 

 attempts have, however, been made during the last fifteen 

 years, by planters and others, to prepare rubber by the 

 Brazilian method, but in all cases it has been dismissed as 

 impracticable. 



During the last two years it has frequently been asserted 

 that Dr. Trimen was approached on the subject of preparing 

 rulilxjr by the method practised on the Amazon, some twenty 

 to thirty years ago, and that he refused to consider the matter, 

 on the ground that a better method, coagulation by acetic 

 acid, had Ikjou discovered. The answer to this is that the 

 acetic acid metliofl was worked out by Parkin in 1898-99 

 wheroaH Dr. Trimen died in 1890. 



