October i, 1906.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



21 



LITERATURE OF INDIA-RUBBER 



HEVEA BRASILIKNSIS. OR PARA RUBBER ITS BOTANY. CULTIVA- 

 tion, Chemistry, and Diseases. By llciberl WriKlil. A R.c.s., ii.s . Control- 

 ler. Govfrtinn,-nt ICxperiment Station. Peradeniy&. Ceylon. Second E<lition. 

 With i>!:itcs and tli.Tfifanis. Colombo: .V. M.andJ FerRUSon. 1906. [Cloih. 

 Svo. P|>. XIII ) 179-hplales. Price, at Colombo, 7 shillings,] 



Till-; rubber planting interest cannot fail to be benefited 

 bj- the work which Mr. Wright, with coniniendahle 

 pain.staking, lias done in bringing out this book, lie has 

 not assumed to offer a complete compendium of knowledge 

 regarding the rubber species to which his work relates, nor 

 yet an infallible planters' manual. Hut he has brought 

 together very many facts, a study of which permits general- 

 izations of value to be made, though as a rule the author 

 leaves the generalizing to be done by the reader. As an 

 illustration, instead of going on record as to the normal 

 average j'ield of a Hevea tree under given conditions, the 

 author presents detailed results obtained on a number of 

 plantations in Ceylon, from trees of different ages, under 

 various methods of tapping. The figures given appear well 

 authenticated, and the inference appears not unreasonable 

 that if certain yields are derived from one plantation, some- 

 thing similar may be exjjccted from other trees, siir.ilarly 

 circumstanced. 



Mr. Wright, as a member of the government scientific ser- 

 vice in Ceylon, has availed himself of an opportunity for an 

 e.Ktensive personal observation of rubber trees under cultiva- 

 tion in that part of the world. Bej'ond this he has depended 

 upon the work of other investigators. But his book gives 

 evidence of an industrious consultation of authorities, who.se 

 statements are referred to so definitely that the reader, 

 if he wishes, may easily consult the original sources of 

 information. 



Beginning with a history of the introduction of Parii 

 rubber in the Far Kast, this book sketches the development 

 of its cidtivation until it has reached very large proportions. 

 The climatic conditions favorable for I Icvta are discussed ; 

 questions of soil and fertilizing; methods of planting and 

 the care to be given to the 3-oung trees ; tapping operations 

 and implements ; how and when to tap, and on what part 

 of the tree, and inanj- related questions. There is a chapter 

 on the phj'sical and chemical properties of latex, followed 

 by one on the production of rubber from latex. The drj-ing 

 of rubber is discussed, and its physical and chemical proper- 

 ties, the purification of rubber, etc. The vulcanization and 

 uses of rubber are discussed, to enable the reader better to 

 appreciate what follows in relation to plantation rubber as 

 compared with " wild " rubber, analj'ses of different rub- 

 bers, and such like topics. 



The diseases of the Para rubber tree take u]) a chapter, and 

 the book ends with estimates of a number of Ceylon planters 

 on the cost of growing rubber. These appear to have been 

 prepared with much care, but the author does not commit 

 himself and nowhere in the volume is the question of profits 

 dealt with. Mr. F. J. Ilolloway 's estimate for a rubber plan- 

 tation of 300 acres, to the end of the sixth year, is $23,350, 

 or $77.83 (gold) per acre, exclusive of cost of the land, about 

 $16.67 per acre. 



Mr. Wright's Ijook has been considerably enlarged and 

 broadened in this second edition, and the excellent halftone 

 illustrations have been doubled in number. We may per- 

 haps best conclude this notice b^' quoting from the author's 

 preface : " The whole industrj-, especially as far as the pro- 



ducers are concerned, is in its infancj-, and though our 

 knowledge regarding the function of the latex, the effect of 

 removing cortical tissues and latex from the plant, the 

 methods of extracting latex, yields obtainable, and the pro- 

 duction of rubber from late.x. is considerable, one must be 

 prepared to give up present day ideas and commence work 

 on new lines, whenever the latter has been shown to be 

 worthy of adoption. " The book before us would be of value, 

 if it did no more than suggest to planters what is involved 

 in the rubber cultural proposition. 



IN CDKKKNT PEKIODICALS. 



Dkr iieue Kaulshuk batiin Euphorbia elastica. By Dr. Rudolf 



Kudlich. [Description of Uie Mexican " Yellow tree " as a rubber 



producer. See The India Ruiibkr World, February i, 1906 — 



page 148.] = /?^;- Tiopcnpflaiizcr, Berlin. X 8 (Aug. '06). Pp. 



525-53 "• 



Wie V'erveilfiiltigt man den Karetbauni {Ficus elaslica). By 

 Prof. .'V. H Berkhout. [Multiplication of the Fkiis elaslica in the 

 Dutch Hast Indies by means of niarcottage.] Der Tiopenpflanzer. 

 Berlin. X-S (Aug '06). Pp. 505-516. 



I,es Ivssais de Culture de Caoutchouc daiisleBas Congo Frain'ais. 

 By lierthelol du Clie.snay. [Relates io Maniliot, Caslilloa, Kickxia 

 and llevca, showing the superioritj- of the \&\.\.&x.\— Journal d' 

 Agrictitliirc Tfopiaile, Vnr'ts. VI-61 (July 31, '06), Pp. 195-199. 



NEW TRADE PUBLICATION.S 



UNDER the title " Some Comments on Air Brake Hose," 

 BosTo.v BiCLTiNC, Co. issue a brochure of much inter- 

 est in relation to a report on tests of air brake hose pre- 

 sented at the June convention of the Master Car Builders' 

 Association, pointing out wherein such tests might have 

 been of more value if conducted on a different basis, [i'4" 

 X 6". 12 pages.] 



Till-: I.MPiCRiAi, Krnni;K Co. (Beach City, Ohio) issue a 

 well got up and interesting catalogue of Druggists' Sund- 

 ries, together with bath caps, sponge bags, and the like. It 

 is their Catalogue No. 5. i5'4"X7H"- 32 pages.] 

 ALSO RECEIVED. 



The Bissell Carpet Sweeper Co., Grand Rapids, Michigan. := 

 [Bissell's " Cyco " Bearing Carpet Sweeper.] 16 pages. 



Ardrey Vehicle Washer Co., Rochester, New York. = Ardrey 

 Vehicle Washer. 10 pages. 



A. G Spalding & Brothers, New York. = Spalding Catalogue of 

 Spring and Summer Sports. 1906. 130 pages. 



Hopewell Brothers, Boston. — .\utomobile Fabric Supplies. 16 

 pages. 



The Xylotite Manufacttirin^ Co., Cincinnati, Ohio=Xylotite 



Pulleys. 56 pages. 



Dr. H. P. Coile, Knoxville, Tennessee. =TheCoile Bath Tub De- 

 scribed and Illustrated. 16 pages. 



The Stamford Rubber Supply Co., Stamford, Connecticut. - 

 Stamford Substitutes S pages. 



The Rubber Chemical Co., Limited, Bermingham, England. = 

 Concerning NaiUusi [a vulcanizing agent and preservative]. 8 

 pages. 



Joseph Di.KOn Crucible Co., Jersey City New Jersey = Unions for 

 Steam P;pes. [With points on the use of graphite.] By W. H. 

 Wakenian. ig pages. A Concise History of Lead Pencil Making. 

 S pages. 



The Hotz Clincher Tire and Rubber Co., Akron, Ohio^" The 

 Rlotz Club." [Descriptive of Motz tires; issued from New York 

 selling agency. | 16 pages. 



The Mcllroy Belting and Hose Co., Chicago. = Facts About Rub- 

 ber-Ite Belting. i6 pages. 



