184 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[January 1, 1913. 



tions. The tenure of life in a new habitat depends, moreover, 

 upon the ability of a plant to resist new , enemies. Thus in Ala- 

 bama, thrips and nematodes have been seen to affect guayuls 

 badly. In the semi-arid desert, on the contrary, no case of death 

 has been noted during three years, save as the result of insufficient 

 irrigation. It is deduced from this behavior that the resistance of 

 an irrigated plant to drought is much less effective than that of 

 one grown under usual conditions. 



With respect to rate of growth it is estimated that the average 

 dry weight of a plant would be 1 pound, and assuming 10,000 

 plants to the acre, a 2 per cent, rubber content would yield 200 

 pounds of rubber in two growth seasons, followed by six months 

 of suppressed irrigation. At 60 cents per pound this gives a 

 return of $120 per acre for two years, or $60 per acre per year, 

 subject to the charging of the usual costs. Were the yield of 

 rubber even 6 to 7 per cent., it would not compete with onions in 

 irrigated land. It is assumed that it would not pay to grow the 

 plants longer than two years. 



The rate of growth in the moister climate of Auburn, Alabama, 

 is less rapid than in the desert under irrigation. In the first sea- 

 son a height of 8 to 10 inches is attained, but the additional 

 growth in the second is meagre. Thus only the rubber secretion 

 of the first season has to be considered. This, it is added, is 

 practically nil, the possibility of growing guayule in this region 

 being excluded. 



After dealing with the method and character of rubber secre- 

 tion, the author draws the conclusion as inevitable that the deter- 

 mining factor in the cultivation of guayule is control of the water 

 supply. In the presence of an abundance of water applied irregu- 

 larly and at too frequent intervals, it will take more than three 

 years for the maximum cell amount of rubber to be attained. A 

 quantum approaching the maximum is attained, on the other 

 hand, if plants which have been well irrigated for two seasons are 

 then subjected to drought conditions for six to eight months. 



LABORATORY ORGANIZATION IN THE RUBBER 



INDUSTRY. (Abstract.) 



By Frederic Dannerth. 



IN view of the necessity of arriving at positive data, successful 

 corporations have arrangement? with the managing director 

 to purchase at the lowest possible market price the best raw mate- 

 rials for a given purpose ; to criticize the manner in which the 

 factory manager is making up these raw materials and help him 

 to attain perfection; to help the salesmen when competitors are 

 offering better quality for same or less money ; and to deliver to 

 the factory manager, heat, hght and power at the lowest possible 

 cost. 



In factory management, as now carried out, all chemical prob- 

 lems are first presented to the supervising chemist of the works, 

 who occupies a position parallel to that of the factory manager 

 and the operating engineer; being wholly or partially employed by 

 the particular corporation. 



The duties of this department are: (1) To investigate all new 

 processes; (2) to constantly improve existing ones; (3) to cor- 

 rect and explain irregularities of current operations; (4) to in- 

 vent new and useful processes; (5) to determine the value and 

 exact composition of* all raw materials ; (6) to determine the 

 value and composition of competitors' products; (7) to advise 

 correctly on "specification goods"; (8) to control different stages 

 of many processes. 



Co-operation with the laboratory by every department is thus 

 necessary for the full use of the constructive forces at work. 



The supervising chemist, whose value is in proportion to his 

 far-seeing capacity, has five first assistants : the engineering, 

 buyer's, factory, sales and research chemists. In the laboratory 

 organization are included the abstracting of foreign and domestic 

 technical literature and of patents ; as well as a library of cata- 



logs. Superintendents should present monthly to the supervising 

 chemist reports of their own or their assistants' ideas, warranting 

 investigation. 



The engineering chemist's most important field of activity is the 

 examination of materials used by the power plant; co-operating 

 with the buyer's chemist, who is essentially an analyst ; and whose 

 duty it is to devise rational specifications on standard material. 

 The factory chemist investigates problems arising in the factory, 

 and looks after the writing of recipes to meet certain specifica- 

 tions. The sales chemist makes analyses of commercial rubber 

 products offered by competing firms, and conducts the final tests 

 on specification goods. The research chemist's duties include 

 dealing with the periodical and patent literature of all countries, 

 as well as the investigation of the latest advances in machinery 

 for chemical processes, and the utilization of wastes. He should 

 embody the varied talent and knowledge required in a wide field, 

 and should have a properly equipped research laboratory with 

 miniature rubber machinery. Together with the supervising 

 chemist and the factory manager he forms the research commit- 

 tee, which meets regularly to consider all important investigations. 



The supervising chemist has the supervision of the work of his 

 five first assistants, and calls a weekly meeting of the chief chem- 

 ists to discuss standard analytical methods and patents of interest 

 to the rubber industry. A digest of this meeting should be for- 

 warded to all the chemists of the company for comment and fil- 

 ing; while the supervising' chairman has in his office a card index 

 with condensed abstracts of relevant articles from chemical 

 journals. The efficiency of the chemical department may be in- 

 creased by periodic visits of the supervising chemist to the differ- 

 ent laboratories of the company and to those of other industries, 

 in order to incorporate in his organization the favorable develop- 

 ments made by them. Laboratory buildings should be roomy, 

 well lighted and ventilated, likewise equipped with all the 

 apparatus required for accurate and rapid work. 



The central laboratory and office should have a file of chemical 

 and engineering periodicals and standard works. All the labora- 

 tories should be in the same building, to facilitate library refer- 

 ences and consultations by the individual chemists. 



Another point of importance is the holding of periodical general 

 meetings of the chemists to promote cordial co-operation and to 

 discuss specific subjects; as well as the periodical exchange of 

 chemists between the different laboratories, to broaden the ex- 

 perience of the individual chemist. Monthly reports should be 

 made by each laboratory to the supervising chemist, explaining all 

 difficulties encounted in the course of investigations and making 

 suggestions for improvements in existing methods. 



When a corporation has plants in different cities, the central 

 laboratory should be connected with one of the large plants, so 

 that mechanics may be available for construction work in the 

 laboratory. Such an arrangement, moreover, allows of chemists 

 asking advice of foremen and superintendents. 



The rules to be posted in the laboratories should provide : For 

 the verification of the accuracy of weighing and measuring appa- 

 ratus ; for standard solutions being checked by the head or one of 

 the chief chemists ; for all important investigations to be in dupli- 

 cate and all clerical work and calculations to be checked; for the 

 employment, even in the simplest determinations, of systems of 

 weighing and manipulation, devised to prevent errors. 



The form of organization of which the leading features have 

 been described, must never take the semblance of dull routine; 

 while the interest in the work can be decidedly promoted by 

 having the chemist come into personal touch with the department 

 for which he is doing work. 



Scientific management resolves itself into buying the best mate- 

 rial of a given grade at the lowest possible price and selling the 

 finished product of a given quality at the lowest possible price. 

 To accomplish this our manufacturers have drawn to their aid the 

 services of men exercising the above functions. 



