January i, 1909.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



145 



The Editor's Book Table. 



HEVEA BRASILIEKSIS OR PARA RUBBER. ITS BOTANY, CULTI- 

 vation. Chemistry and Diseases. By Herbert Wright, A. R. c. s., F. L. s. 

 - - - Third edition. Colombo; A. M. & J. Ferguson. London; McLaren 

 & Sons. 1908. [Cloth. 8vo. Pp. xvii + 3044-90 plates. Price, 10 shil- 

 lings, net.] 



THE mere fact of the publication of such a substantial 

 book as this, from so competent a pen and with the 

 imprint of a house of such standing, would argue the 

 importance of rubber culture. The point is strengthened by 

 the fact that a third edition has been brought out so soon 

 after the appearance of the first, each more elaborate than 

 its predecessor. 



The author, as our readers know, is a man of scientific 

 training who spent several years in Ceylon in an official 

 position which required his attention to questions connected 

 with rubber planting. He is, therefore, possessed of much 

 first hand information on this interest, in addition to making 

 systematic use of such authentic data as has been available 

 from other sources. 



The present volume exceeds the second 

 edition by 125 pages of te.Kt and 35 full 

 page plates, on separate leaves. The addi. I 

 space is divided among all the chapters 01 

 the book, showing evidences of careful rr 

 vision. There is much additional infornia 

 tion under nearly every heading, including 

 statistics of yield, etc., brought down U > 

 the latest possible date before publication 

 The illustrations consist in large part 01 

 views from photographs of planted Hez'ea 

 trees under varying conditions, sketches of 

 tapping tools and mechanical apparatus for 

 dealing with latex and preparing rubber 

 for m.'irVet. Senarate chapters appear in 

 this edition on "Botany of the Para Rubber 

 Tree" and "Effect of Tapping on Trees," 

 which are treated more fully than before. 



For those who have not seen the book 

 it may be described as a general descrip- 

 tion of the Para rubber tree in its forest 

 habitat and under domestication ; a brief 

 history of its introduction into the Far 

 East ; a record of the growth of the rubber 

 planting interest; and a summary of plan- 

 tation methods, processes and apparatus, and the results attained. 

 The estimates of rubber planting costs, in Ceylon and elsewhere, 

 with which the volume closes, doubtless are not intended to be 

 followed closely in any case, but they are at least of interest 

 to the prospective planter in pointing out the various headings 

 under which outgo may be necessary before an income is derived 

 from a rubber estate. 



A PERSONAL NOTE. 



I FIRST met Herbert Wright some years ago at the experiment 

 station connected with the Royal Botanic Gardens at Peradeniya, 

 Ceylon. It was about as hot as it ever gets in that country, 

 which is saying much. 



Wright ran me over the gardens, showing me all they were 

 doing in rubber, with an energy and enthusiasm that was really 

 delightful. Later I got a letter from him saying that he had 

 accepted the post of editor of the /nrfia-i?u6&<.'r/oMr;jo/ in London, 

 and I was glad of it. Certainly he has made a much better paper 

 of that estimable journal, and then there is another thing that 

 I like about him. When he borrows anything from my own 

 paper he says "From The India Rubber World," and not "We 

 take the folkiwing from a New York contemporary." In other 



HekIIKRT WkIGHT, A.R.C.S., F.L.S, 



words, people know it is The India Rubber World, and do not 

 have to spend time guessing whether i\ is from Zion's Herald or 

 the Ladies' Home Journal. 



Mr. Wright is a young man, being but 34 years old, and yet 

 he has done much. For training he prepared at the Royal Col- 

 lege of Science in London, and the London University under 

 Professor Dr. Tilden, f.r.s. Later he toured through the Far 

 East to study rubber plantation development, then he spent 

 nearly seven years as an official at the Botanic Gardens at Pera- 

 deniya, studying economic plants, and especially those yielding 

 India-rubber. 



As a writer, Mr. Wright takes high rank, and is the author, 

 in addition to "Hevea Brasiliensis," of the following well known 

 works : "Science of Para Rubber Cultivation," "Rubber Cultiva- 

 tion in the British Empire," "My Tour in Eastern Rubber Lands," 

 "The Genus Diospyros (ebony) in Ceylon; Its Morphology, 

 Anatomy and Taxonomy," "Theobroma Cacao; Its Botany, Cul- 

 tivation, Chemistry and Diseases." 



Air. Wright is not only an editor and 

 ;iuthor but is much of a business man. 

 lie is director and consulting botanist of a 

 number of rubber companies, among which 

 may be mentioned Java Rubber Plantations, 

 l.angkat (Sumatra) Rubber Co., and Glen 

 r.crrie Rubber Co. h. c. p. 



IIIE CEVXON HANDBOOK AND DIREC- 

 tory and Compendium of Useful Informa- 

 tion, to Which is Preli.\ed a Statistical Sum- 

 mary for the Colony, and Review of the 

 Planting Enterprise Up to July, 1908. Com- 

 piled - - - under the direction of J. Fergu- 

 son, C.M.G., M.L.c. - - - Colombo: A. M. & J. 

 Ferguson, 1908. [Cloth. 8vo. Pp. Lli + 

 '559 -|- I-v. Price, £1. l^.] 



This exceeding full and carefully prc- 

 jiared annual, now appearing for the 

 flirty-sixth consecutive year, exceeds last 

 year's issue by 133 pages. The book is 

 arranged on the usual plan, and the in- 

 creased bulk is due mainly to the growth 

 of Ceylon planting and trade, one of the 

 most important features of which is the 

 new interest, rubber culture. Mr. Fergu- 

 son estimates the approximate area under 

 rubber in the colony on July 31, 1908, at 

 180,000 acres, an increase of about 30,000 within one year. The 

 acreage under rubber alone is 129,565, which compares with 

 614,023 as the total area under cultivation in Ceylon. There 

 has been an increase of the acreage of rubber planted in tea 

 and in cacao. It is estimated that the rubber exported from 

 Ceylon represents the product of about 10 acres per ton, from 

 which it is easy to calculate the possible production there if all 

 the rubber now planted should ever come "into bearing" at the 

 same rate. The "Handbook" contains full particulars regarding 

 all rubber and other estates in Ceylon, company details, addresses 

 of individuals, and official statistics. Again we desire to con- 

 gratulate the Messrs. Ferguson upon the excellence of their 

 "Handbook." 



GRAPHITE. ITS PROPERTIES, OCCURRENCE, REFINING AND 

 Uses. By Fritz Cirkel, M.E. Ottawa: 1907. [Paper. 8vo. Pp. 11 -|- 

 307 + plates and maps.] 



This valuable monograph has been prepared and is issued 

 under the asupices of the department of mines of Canada 

 in which country a considerable amount of graphite of good 

 quality is found, though of course not in quantities comparable 

 with what is found in Austria and Ceylon. The work is a 

 general summary on graphite, whatever its sources or uses, il- 



