January 1, 1914.] 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



171 



DONATIONS AND VISITORS. 

 During tlie year 1910 contributions were received from 61 

 donors. The number of visitors averaged about 13,000 a month 

 during the first half of tlie year and about 14.000 during the 

 second half, the total for the year being 164.686 visitors. 



SCIENTIFIC PART. 

 The scientific part of the report includes special contributions 

 from the principal members of the staff and occupies the larger 

 part of the volume. It is to a great extent geographical and thus 

 of permanent interest. "From the Xingu to the Tapajoz" records 

 two journeys of Dr. Emilia Snctblage made between the years 

 1906 and 1908 by that learned and intrepid woman for the purpose 

 of making her way from the former to the latter river through 

 the atlluent rivers Iriri aiul lamaucbim. The stnrv of her travels 



W'MtKi Ai.i,.-. Xkar Obido.-^, State of Tar a. 



is graphically told in some forty pages and supplemented by 15 

 photographic illustrations as w-ell as a map. Next in order is a 

 "Comparative Vocabulary" of the Chipaya and Curuahc lan- 

 guages, showing the equivalents of several hundred Portuguese 

 words ; compiled by Dr. Snethlage after her return home. 



In a hundred-page treatise on "Scientific Explorations in the 

 State of Para" Sr. .\dolpho Ducke deals with "The Muni- 

 cipality of Faro" and "The Municipality of Obidos." This de- 

 tailed account of the two districts named embraces their prin- 

 cipal topographical and scenic features, illustrated by a dozen 

 local views. 



Dr. Huber then follows with eighty pages of "New Contribu- 

 tions to the Knowledge of Hn'ca," under the following heads : 

 I. The Geographical Distribution of Hevea; II. Some Hevea 

 Varieties of the River Iga, Putumayo ; III. Distribution of 

 Varieties of Hevea in the State of Para ; IV. Variability in 



Character of Hevea and Possibilities of a Methodical Selection. 

 Dr. Ruber's well known mastery of botanical science is shown in 

 every page of this monograph as well as in the final paper in the 

 work, also from his pen "On a Collection of Plants from the 

 Region of Cupaty (River Japura-Caqueta)." 



An appropriate conclusion to the volume is a colored map 

 showing the geographical distribution of the principal rubber 

 trees in the State of Para. This map is due to the joint labors of 

 Sr. Jose PigauQo Diniz and Dr. Jacques Huber. 



In a comprehensive summary of the works published in 1909-10 

 within the scope of the museum's action, 35 pages are devoted to 

 a review of current literature under the heads of: Traveling, 

 Geography and Meteorology, Anthropology, Zoology and Botany. 



Nearly 30 views of high artistic character serve to illustrate 

 the stories of their travels contributed by two of the principal 

 officials. The whole volume is highly creditable to the official 

 staff of the museum, as showing what it has done to carry out 

 its objects under the leadership of its talented director, Dr. 

 Jacques Huber, whose name is so widely known in connection 

 with rubber. 



The publication of the report for 1910 has been delayed through 

 the absence of Dr. Huber, and that for 1911 and 1912 is now 

 on the press. 



COMPARISON OF BRAZILIAN. PAHA AND PLANTATION RUBBER. 



.\t tlic annual meeting held recently at Edinburgh of the 

 Tehran Rubber Estates, the chairman, Mr. P. M. Matthew, 

 remarked that Plantation Para stood in a class by itself and 

 required different treatment in manufacturing from any sort 

 of wild rubber. This difference was a substantial one, virhich 

 up to the present time the ablest rubber chemists had been 

 unable to satisfactorily explain. While it was not merely 

 ,1 question of curing, the superiority of fine Para was prob- 

 ably due to the particular curing process to which it had been 

 subjected.' Unless this result could be obtained by means 

 adapted to Eastern conditions, manufacturers would be un- 

 able to dispense with fine Para. 



Smoking or treatment with antiseptic vapor during the 

 process of drying was not curing in the proper sense of the 

 word, nor did it impart to rubber the characteristics of fine 

 Para. Such rubber did not give better results in manufacture 

 than properly prepared crepe. 



THE RUBBER GROWERS' ASSOCIATION'S COMMITTEES. 



The general situation of rubber has been under investiga- 

 tion by three sub-committees of the Rubber Growers' As- 

 sociation, London. While the first of these took up the 

 question of the advisability of combination or restriction, 

 nnd the second dealt with the cause of the present 

 lall. the third considered tlie questions of standardization 

 and the publication of working results. As a result of the 

 deliberation it was decided that combination in regard to 

 selling might be considered, if SO per cent, of the producing 

 companies would come into line. 



As to forward contracts, they were not condemned when 

 their time of delivery is not too protracted; the sub-committee 

 not considering such transactions as likely to play into the 

 hands of the "bears." 



With regard to the recent slump in plantation rubber, the 

 sub-committee expressed the opinion that it was due to the 

 planting interest and not to Mincing Lane. Manufacturers 

 would not object to rubber being permanently quoted at 

 about 3s. per pound. 



The sub-committee on standardization leaves that question 

 to the special standardization committee. While the publica- 

 tion of outputs and other statistics was in itself undesirable, 

 the practice has now become so general that a change might 

 be difficult to introduce. 



