192 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[January I, 1913. 



Gutta Percha in Kaiser Wilhelm Land. 



NEW GUINEA, the vast island immediately to the north of 

 Australia, is like ancient Gaul, divided into thice parts. 

 The western part belongs to Holland, the soutlicrn por- 

 tion to England, and the northeast to Germany (Kaiser Wil- 

 helm Land). 



Special attention was directed to the latter by the expedition 

 in 1907-9, organized by the "Kolonial Wirthscliaftlichcs Komitee" 

 (Colonial Economic Committee), the report of which has ap- 

 peared, after having been for a long time in preparation. It has 

 been compiled by Dr. R. Schlechter, the botanist, who was in 

 charge of the expedition. 



The following were the objects of the expedition : 



1. Determination of the quantities of gutta percha and rubber 

 worth gathering. 



2. Gathering of these crude materials. 



3. Instruction of natives as to their gathering. 



4. Preparation for and development of gutta percha and rub- 

 ber cultivation. 



The necessary funds were provided by the German Colonial 

 Company, the Colonial Administration, and by the German rub- 

 ber manufacturing industry. 



The expedition reached Kaiser Wilhelm Land on March 12. 

 1907. From that time until February, 1909, the party remained 

 in the central part of Kaiser Wilhelm Land. They then passed 

 several months in the Waria valley ; later nn visiting the west- 



GUTTA PERCHA. 

 As far as positively known, there are in the Protectorate of 

 New Guinea, two principal varieties of Palaquium, which pro- 

 duce a marketable gutta percha. The first of these, which may 



Making Channels on Trunk of a Gutta Percha Tree 

 WITH Hollow Chisel. 



em part of the protectorate and leaving New Guinea late in 

 the year. The results of the expedition are classified into the 

 following heads : gutta percha, rubber, other useful plants ; botan- 

 ical and geographical points. 



Collecting Gutta Percha Milk. 



be designated red gutta percha, has been designated by Dr. 

 Schlechter as Palaquium Supfianum. The second, as yet unde- 

 scribed, dififers from the first by the baldness of its leaves. This 

 description it is proposed to call Palaquium IVarburgianum. 



Palaquium Suf^Hanum is a tree which attains the height of 

 100 to 130 feet. The diameter of the trunk approaches 6 feet. 

 The Palaquium IVarburgianum is very similar to the first-named 

 variety, but grows more quickly and has a greater diameter. 

 Regarding the habitat of the Palaquium Supfianum, the expe- 

 dition found it in almost every region visited, chiefly at an 

 altitude from 300 to 2,.S0O feet above sea level. It apparently 

 prefers hilly locations, but is also sometimes found in low situ- 

 ations. It favors well drained land, and seems to avoid all places 

 where there is stagnant ground water. 



TAPPING. 



With a view to defining the best method of tapping. Dr. 

 Schlechter made trials of all the known methods. These were 

 made of horizontal cuts, oblique and vertical cuts, and long and 

 short incisions of various lengths, partly upon trees standing in 

 the forest and partly on those already felled. From these vari- 

 ous trials it was seen that the quantity of gutta percha gathered 

 did not pay for the amount of work involved. The extent of 

 these trials led Dr. Schlechter to the conclusion that under 

 the circumstances, the ring methods employed in the Dutch 

 Indies, particularly Sumatra and Borneo, were the only profit- 

 able ones, much greater quantity of gutta percha being ob- 

 tained than by any others. 



As soon as a gutta percha tree is found which appears worth 

 tapping, and before the tree is felled, it is estimated in 

 what direction it will probably fall. The forest is partially 

 cleared on the side in question, short trunks of trees being laid 

 crosswise, in order to prevent the tree from falling directly on 

 the ground. The short trunks placed crosswise allow of the 

 more convenient use of the cups placed beneath for collecting 

 the milk, and allow of the rings being brought around the whole 



