182 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[March i, 1905. 



worthless. The purchaser who insists that 40 per cent, of 

 Pari rubber be the basis of his compound may be grossly 

 handicapping the manufacturer who would get infinitely 

 better results by the mixture of two or three different 

 kinds of rubbers, and so on. 



It is to be noted in this connection, however, that there 

 is a marked tendency on the part of those who make spec- 

 ifications to simplify them as much as possible, to cut out 

 the freak clauses, that give some one manufacturer an un- 

 fair advantage over the others, and to allow only respon- 

 sible firms a chance to bid for their business. This is 

 just as it should be, and marks a long step in advance 

 over the old time method of procedure. 



RUBBER GOODS IN THE TROPICS. 



PEOPLE who send goods made of India-rubber to the 

 tropics^that is, manufacturers — are apt to labor under 

 the impression that the better the quality, the longer the arti- 

 cle lasts. This is the truth only to a degree. In the line of 

 mechanical rubber goods, the better grades outlast the infe- 

 rior, but when it comes down to wearing apparel, such as mack- 

 intoshes, the reverse is the rule. 



On one occasion, before taking a long tropical trip, the writer 

 provided himself with the very best grade of light tan-colored 

 pure gum coat that he could obtain. This was of American 

 make. He also purchased a light weight double texture mack- 

 intosh made by an English house renowned for the quality of 

 its goods and advertised as particularly adapted for use in the 

 tropics. Both of these garments softened and became very 

 sticky under the intense, moist heat near the equator. In the 

 double textured article, wherever cement had been used, it 

 worked through the cloth and the pockets stuck together so 

 tightly that they were useless. 



In talking with those who handle rubber goods in the tropics, 

 the experiences cited are said to be every day occurrences. The 

 rule seems to be that the heavily compounded goods stand the 

 climate best. A high grade of fine, white sheeting turned very 

 yellow, but was otherwise unaffected. Druggists' sundries in 

 white rubber stood just as well as they did in the temperate 

 zone, but the pure gum goods were very apt to soften and de- 

 teriorate. 



Just aboxjt this time of year, that is, the beginning 

 of the dry season in the tropics, there is a general hegira of 

 presidents, vice presidents, treasurers, and inspectors of rubber 

 plantationstoward the southland. Ifacensus of foreigners were 

 taken to-day in Mexico, the tieira caliente would be shown to 

 contain many hundreds of Americans, all interested in rubber. 

 By April, at the latest, the most of them will be back with many 

 photographs, much personal experience, hundreds of insect bites, 

 and, let us hope, with the report that many companies are be- 

 ginning to market cultivated rubber. 



The alleged prophecy made by Andrew Carnegie, 

 that the coming men of power would be rubber millionaires, is 

 already being fulfilled— says the Boston Record. That excel- 

 lent and usually accurate paper goes on to remark that the late 

 Sir Henry M. Stanley left a fortune, consisting largely of rub- 

 ber plantations in Central Africa. Both of the above state- 

 ments would be much more interesting and valuable were they 

 true. The India Rubber World long ago inquired of An- 

 drew Carnegie if he ever made such a statement, and he said 



he never did. Further than this, up to the present time, the 

 rubber planting that has been done in Africa appears of very 

 doubtful value, and if Stanley's possessions consisted only of 

 the aforesaid rubber plantations, the money that he left would 

 fall very short of even one million. 



There must be something in rubber planting alter all, 

 because many rubber manufacturers, for a long time skeptical, 

 are beginning to ask questions about the progress of planta- 

 tions in the Far East and in the countries to the south of us ; 

 but an indication more sure than that is that during the last 

 three months not a few brokers and importers have been seek- 

 ing lists of rubber plantations. Not quite convinced, perhaps, 

 but sitting up and taking notice. 



LITERATURE OF INDIA-RUBBER. 



DER PVROGENE ZKRKALL DES KAUTSCHUKS. AELTERE UND 

 neuere Studieii liber die Produkte der trockenen Destination des Kautschuks 

 von Dr. Rudolf Ditmar, Graz. Dresden : Steinkoppf & Springer. 1904. 

 [Paper. 6vo. Pp.41. Pi ice, 1 mark.] 



IN this brochure the author gives a compilation of all the 

 known facts regarding the destructive distillation of 

 Caoutchouc and the substances produced therefrom. The in- 

 troduction enumerates the principal works in print containing 

 references to the subject. Detailed literary references on the 

 pyrogenous dissolution conclude the brochure. In the compil- 

 ation of the researches on the products of distillation of Caout- 

 chouc Dr. Ditmar has undertaken a very laborious work, well 

 worthy of consideration ; he has studied the various fragmen- 

 tary articles, appearing from time to time in the publications of 

 the branch, thoroughly, and excerpted them in detail. Not 

 alone the rubber chemist, but organic chemists in general will 

 welcome this little work, which forms a contribution of distinct 

 value to the literature ot the chemistry of rubber. The whole 

 forms a reprint of papers first published in the Gummi-Zeitung. 



KAUTSCHUKGEWINNUNG UND KAUTSCHUKH AXDEL AM AMA- 

 zonstrome. Voa E. L'le. [Supplement to Der Tro/'enfi/lanzer, Berlin, 

 January. IQ05.I [Pp. in-ryl ; map.] 



The expedition of Ernst Ule to the rubber districts of the 

 Amazon, the results of which were first contributed through 

 the Natizblatt of the royal botanical gardens and museum at 

 Berlin, has been noticed already in these pages. It was doubt- 

 less the most thorough exploration of the field yet made by a 

 competent observer, and its results cannot fail to prove of 

 much ultimate benefit. The former reports were contributions 

 to botanical knowledge, whereas the present work, while 

 enumerating the rubber producing species of the Amazon, is 

 devoted largely to the commercial aspects of rubber gathering 

 and the export of rubber. The source of the Amazon rubber 

 commercially known as " Caucho " is treated in a more satis- 

 factory manner than by any previous writer, the tree having 

 been recognized as a distinct species of Castilloa, which is des- 

 ignated by Dr. Otto Warburg, in honor of the explorer, as 

 Castilloa Ulei. 



IN CURRENT PERIODICALS. 



Les Plantes a Caoutchouc du Sud- Annam. Ky Monsieur Vernet, 

 chemist to the Pasteur Institute in Nhatrang. [Report on four rubber 

 yielding lianes (climbers), recently discovered in French Indo-China, 

 and considered valuable and susceptible of cultivation : Ecdysantheta 

 Langbiani. Eci!ysanthe>a Annimnisis, Pezisicarpus montana,^n& Chone 

 morpha Yersini. IWusUnied.^^^Bullttin £coiiomiqiie, ti^uoi. VIIss 

 (November, 1904.) Pp. 11791206. 



Sur les Castilloa du Costa-Rica. By H. Pittier de Fabrega. [Dis- 

 cussion of the question of species. \= Journal d'^gruult lire Tropicale, 

 Paris. V-43 (January 31, 1905.) Pp. 14-17. 



