August 



1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



137 



GUTTA-PERCHA-YIELDING TREES. 



Heer W. Burok, Assistant Director of the Buiten- 

 zorg Botanic Gardens, Java, has written, as an Appendix 

 to the Report on these Gardens for 1882, a most 

 elaborate memoir, embracing all that is at present 

 known of the apparently large number and great 

 variety of the treos which produce the gum called 

 gutta-percha The gum varies in quality as the trees 

 do in species (some of them appear to bo tigs), and 

 the soil and conditions suitable for the growth of 

 gutta-yielding trees vary, as in the case of india- 

 rubber trees, from clay, loam and sand to swamp. 

 We have had the article translated, and, did we 

 think that any Ceylon planter was likely, after the 

 experience with indiarubber, to take up the cultiv- 

 ation of the gutta-percha trees, we should have 

 published the translation in the Observer. But we 

 agree with Dr. Trimen, that, even more than in the 

 case of the rubber trees, those which yield gutta-percha 

 should receive attention from the Governments of tropi- 

 cal countries through their forest departments. We, 

 therefore, restrict the translation of Heer Burck's very 

 elaborate and lengthy paper to the columns of the 

 Tropical Ag, iculi irist. We believe there are some of 

 the gutta-percha-yielding trees in the forests of Ceylon, 

 and others of the species proved to be moat valuable cau 

 be introduced ; but it is in the vast forests of Borneo, 

 Java and the islands of the great Eastern Archi- 

 pelago generally that scope is afforded for identifying 

 the trees and preserving them from extermination. 

 The fear is expressed that commerce will not long 

 be able to supply the demand for gums to cover 

 electric cables, which r.uses a feeling of surprize that 

 science has not, ere now, discovered a substitute in 

 the shape of some artificial composition. That such 

 a discovery will some day be made seems more prob- 

 able than that sulphate of quinine will be superseded 

 by an artificial compound. The difficulty of identify- 

 ing the gutta trees in the forests is said to be in- 

 creased by the small size of the blossoms, by the 

 fact that blossoms and fruits do not co-exist on the 

 trees, and that the trees themselves are, when fully 

 grown, very tall. The natives who make their living 

 by collecting the gum can give but vague in- 

 formation, their accounts of the number of trees they 

 fell to secure a picul of gum (133Jlb.) varying from 

 100 trees to 250. Heer Burck believes that the major 

 portion of the trees which produce gutta-percha are 

 as yet unknown to science. There is, therefore, wide 

 scope for research by him or some other naturalist. 

 The most varying products go into the market by 

 the same name and are often mixed together, only 

 to be separated by an expensive process before being 

 used to coat cables. Local prices are mentioned which 

 vary from /30 per picul to /100. Many of the trees 

 resemble durians in shape and the mangosteen in 

 foliage. After the conclusion of his investigations in 

 tho Padang country, Heer Burck promises further 

 information. As matters stand now, we imagine Dr. 

 Trimen is able to tell the Ceylon Government what 

 are the best treeB to be cultivated or introduced 

 and we observe that several species or varieties have 

 at Buitenzorg grown readily from seed 

 18 



SOME OBSERVATIONS ON GUl'TA-PERCHA. 



By W. Burck, Axst. Diri'rtur. 



(Translated from (lie original Dutch for the "Tropical 



Agriculturist.") 



It may be termed a remarkable and at the sams 

 time fortunate fact, that during tho last few months 

 attention has been drawn from so many different quart- 

 ers and indepeudeutly of each other to the great im- 

 portance to industry, science aud commerce ol a closer 

 acquaintance with the plants which yield the above- 

 mentioned substance. 



Remarkable, not because the subject is now for the first 

 time brought under discussion, aud that the value of 

 this product had not been already for a long time known, 

 and the necessity had been recognized of measures bein° 

 taken against the rough methods of cultivation of gutta- 

 percha-producing plants, but rather because during the 

 last 20 years very little has been said about it. 



I have called the fact fortunate in the highest degree, 

 because the production of this substance during the 

 last few years has diminished to such an alarming 

 extent, whilst its indispensability in industry, especially 

 for the insulating covering of telegraph wires, is more 

 aud more recognized, that it is beginning reasonably 

 to be feared that very shortly the time will arrive when 

 commerce will no longer be able to supply the large 

 demand. 



From the scientific point of view it was M. Beauvis- 

 age, who in his Contribution ii /' etude dies originet 

 botaniqiies dela Gutta-Percha, Paris, 1881, gave a care- 

 ful and critical review of what was known of the bot- 

 anic origin of this important substance, which re o iew 

 may be said to be of so little value, that the w crds 

 of Juugfieiseh, Professeur a 1' ecole de Phannacie, an 

 be applied in this case, who testified regarding the 

 knowledge of the chemical composition of gutta-percha 

 " que tout ce qui a ete cent sur ce suje* est entierement a 

 refaire " [that all that has been written on this subjeot 

 will have to be done over again]. 



it was in the same year 1S81 that the Director of the 

 Public Botanic Garden at Buitenzorg, impressed with 

 the importance of the subject from a scientific as well 

 as from an industrial point of view, a few months after 

 his arrival in Netherlands India instituted an investig- 

 ation into everything bearing on this subjeot that was 

 to be had in the Herbarium and the Museum of the 

 Botanic Garden, 



The result of this investigation was so unsatisfactory, 

 that he felt obliged to call in the assistance of various 

 heads of provincial governments that they might by 

 then- kind help throw some light on this dark question. 

 The better to accomplish his purpose he arranged that 

 at the same time through the Director of the Colonial 

 Museum at Haarlem a collection of specimens of similar 

 substances should be applied for on behalf of that 

 Museum. Accordingly, he at once applied to the Gov- 

 ernor of the West Coast of Sumatra, the Residents of 

 Palembang, BaDka and the western portion of Borneo, 

 as well as to the Assistant Resident of Siutang, for the 

 purpose of obtaining as complete as possible a herbarium 

 of the plants which produce indiarubber, gutta-percha, 

 varieties of gum and res'n and allied substances. It 

 was also asked that to the above might he added ;i 

 specimen of the substance as it comes into the market, 

 together with, specially of the groups of indiarubber 

 and gutta-percha, a little of the fresh milky juice, 

 preserved from spoiling' by the addition of an antiseptic. 

 in order that a chemical analysis might bo rendered 

 possible. 



This application was met with the greatest willing- 

 ness, and in March of the following year the PublTc 

 Botauic Garden received from the Resident of Banka a 

 well-chosen collection of twenty-eight different varieties 

 of milky juice in stoppered bottles, with a careful 

 description of the use by the natives of the tree aud 



