185 



trees are left in the soil, and their cultivation occasions additional 

 expense and reduces the labour force available for rubber work. 



This part of the subject has been so fully dealt with on pre- 

 vious occasions, that it need not be further dilated upon. 



RECAPITULATION. 



It should now be clear that a single perfect system has not yet 

 been devised. There are, of the five systems here enumerated, 

 two which it is difficult to believe in, namely, permanent close 

 planting and permanent wide planting : the former appears to me 

 to be wrong in principle and the latter extremely wasteful. I am 

 more in favour of those systems, which, though faulty in many 

 ways allow of the rubber trees being provided with increased root 

 area as they advance in age and increase in size, this to be dor.e 

 by the thinning-out of rubber trees, intercrops, and other plants, 

 and the uprooting of the stumps of trees so treated. 



BASTARD LOGWOOD FROM JAMAICA. 



By E. DRABBLE, D. Sc, F.L.S., and M. NIERENSTEIN, Ph. D. 



Hoematoxylon campechianum, L., the tree producing the dyestuff 

 termed logwood has several forms differing in the colour of the 

 wood and the amount of dye present. These different forms 

 generally grow side by side, and are apparently not the result of 

 any difference in external conditions, such as soil or climate. 

 Neither do they appear to be the result of difference in age or 

 vigour. The suggestion that disease may be responsible for some 

 of the forms is not supported by Grunberg and Gies (Bull. Dept. 

 Agric. Jamaica, vol. ii., 1 904), and indeed the ordinary Logwood 

 tree is often attacked by root rot — a fungus disease — without, 

 according to statements from Jamaica, changing the character of 

 the dye materially. It is generally concluded that there are several 

 varieties of Hoematoxylon campechianum, differing in amount of dye 

 present, and in the colour of the wood. These differences are pro- 

 bably associated with differences in metabolism, affecting the 

 formation of the dye. In Jamaica three varieties are recognised, 

 and in Honduras four. In addition to the common, true or red 

 logwood, which is by far the most abundant form, is found a tree 

 with deep blue wood, which when chipped develops a rich deep 

 bronze colour. Another variety, although of chocolate colour, 

 yields only about one half the per centageof dye. Pale pink and 

 yellow forms lead on to a white-wooded tree, from which no 

 colouring matter can be obtained. These forms with a small quan- 

 tity of dye, or no dye at all, are termed "bastard logwoods," or 

 " mulatto logwoods." Some of them have been stated to yield a 

 pale yellow-green dye, which, when mixed with hematoxylin, 

 reduces the staining power of the liquid. 



It is said that even the dark form of bastard logwood fades in 

 colour with age and exposure, and even when soaked for some 

 time it yields but little dye. 



Earle (J. of N. York Bot. Garden, iv. 3, 1903) finds no constant 



* Quarterly Journal Inst. Com. Research, Liverpool. 



