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substances, such as stones, sand, dirt, twigs, &c., the milk being 

 carefully filtered before coagulation, and, as the " biscuits" are 

 thin and transparent, any adulterations, foreign matter or 

 accidental additions are thus easily detected. By analysis, a 

 Ceylon biscuit contains 95 i per cent, of pure rubber, whereas, 

 Para is considered " fine" if the sample contains 75 per cent, of 

 rubber. This means that the real value of Ceylon biscuit rubber 

 should be at least 25 per cent, more than Fine Para, whereas it is 

 only fetching about 1 5 per cent. more. This, however, is accounted 

 for by the small quantity so far coming forward and the manu- 

 facturers having their plant and methods installed for treating 

 ordinary Para rubber. 



Planting began slowly, and there are probably not over 70,000 

 trees over eight years old in Ceylon ; but from these 75,000 lb. of 

 rubber were exported from Ceylon in 1904, and this quantity may 

 be largely increased this year The industry was retarded for 

 several years by planters trying to imitate the conditions under 

 which it was thought the tree best grew on the Amazon, viz., by 

 planting in swampy ground. This was occassioned by most 

 travellers stating that they had seen the tree growing on the banks 

 of the Amazon, which frequently overflowed. The explanation is 

 evident. They did see the trees under these conditions, because 

 they were travelling on the river ; but those that are thus growing 

 are the result of probably tons of millions of seeds which have 

 been washed down by the river from the primeval forests, and of 

 these countless numbers a few seeds have managed to survive. 

 These were the trees seen by travellers, as they were easily visible 

 from the river. It has since been found that whereas 2 or 3 per 

 cent, of seeds grow in a swamp, 98 or 99 per cent, survive and 

 thrive on well-drained and good soil. This, and the discovery 

 how to make the rubber out of the milk, have given an enormous 

 impetus to planting ; so that during the last few years quite 

 3,000,000 trees have been planted in Ceylon, and probably as 

 many more in the Straits. This sounds a large number ; but as 

 the yield from 6,000,000 trees is not likely to increase the world's 

 output by more than about 5 per cent., when they come into bearing 

 viz., in six or seven years, it will be realised that there is room for 

 a great many more, if the demand, which increases year by year, 

 is to be satisfied. 



Measurements of the largest rubber trees on the Amazon, con- 

 sidered to be 50 or 60 years old, are 6 ft. to 7 ft. in circumference. 

 In Ceylon, trees 17 years old have attained a girth of 80 in. A 

 tree can be tapped when it is 2 ft. in girth 3 ft. from the ground, 

 and this size is attained in Ceylon about the sixth year. Such 

 trees would be passed by on the Amazon, as it would not pay 

 collectors to stop for the small amount of rubber obtainable at 

 each tapping from so small a tree, with probably, at most, two or 

 three to the acre. This, then, is the great difference in the two 

 industries — the one means collecting from large, old, giant trees 

 which yield 5 lb., or even more, per tree, but which are found at 



