264 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[May l, 1910. 



The Editor's Book Table. 



LE BRESIL. SES RICHESSES NATURELLES, SES INDUSTRIES. 

 Extrait de l'Ouvrage: "O Brazil, Suas Riquezas Naturaes, Suas In- 

 dustrias." Publie par le Service d'Expansion Economique du Bresil. 

 Tome I. Introduction — Industrie Extractive. Paris: Librairie Aillaud 

 et Cie. 1909. [Paper. Large 8 vo. Pp. 404 -f- map. Price, ?s. 6d.] 



WITH a view to the general development of the re- 

 sources of Brazil, the head of one of the departments 

 of the federal government a few years ago deputed to the 

 body known as the Centro Industrial do Brazil the preparation of 

 an exhaustive report on the natural wealth of the nation, together 

 with a record of its development to date, and suggestions toward 

 still further development. The volume before us is the first 

 in the series devoted to the subject in question, the whole be- 

 ing produced under the direction of Dr. L. R. Vieara Souto, 

 a professor in the Polytechnic School of Rio de Janeiro, and 

 first vice president of Centro Industrial do Brazil. This first 

 volume embraces (1) a general introduction to the work on 

 an elaborate scale, dealing with the history of the country 

 from the earliest dates, and a general outline of its natural 

 wealth; and (2) a dissertation on the "extractive industry," 

 the most important factor in which is caoutchouc. Succeed- 

 ing volumes will be devoted to studies relative to agriculture, 

 transportation, and manufacturing. 



It cannot be said that this work, while evidently the result 

 of systematic and painstaking care, involves any original con- 

 tribution of value to the subject of rubber and its collection. 

 The chapter on rubber, however, does embrace a summary of 

 compiled facts which cannot fail to be serviceable to readers 

 without access to an extensive library of reference, or without 

 an opportunity to consult the same freely. There is also a 

 wealth of statistics of rubber production and exports, dating 

 back to 1827, when the whole amount that could be credited 

 to Brazil was 32 tons, up to the present, when the total 

 volume has become so extensive. The officially declared 

 value of rubber exports from Para, by the way, for the year 

 1827, was only about 7I/3 cents per pound, in United States 

 gold. It would be interesting to know what American im- 

 porters paid. 



This work has been produced in the best style of typo- 

 graphical art, including in its scheme a large number of high 

 class half tone illustrations, and deserves a place in every 

 library devoted either to Brazil and its conditions, or to the 

 production of rubber. It may be added that the book is in 

 French, and has been brought out in Paris. 



HEVEA BRASILIENSIS OR PARA RUBBER IN THE MALAY PEN- 

 insula. Notes and ficures in connection with the cultivation of Para 

 rubber. By W. F. C. Asimont. London: L. Upcott Gill. [1909.] 

 [Cloth. i2mo. Price. 2s. 6d.] 



There is naturally a demand for estimates of the cost of 

 producing rubber on plantations, and the present author, 

 who has had considerable experience in administrative work on 

 large plantations, has sought to fill such demand, though not 

 professing to give the last word on the subject. In fact, he 

 invites free criticism of his figures. He gives an estimate on 

 the total outlay for forming a plantation of Hevea of 4,000 

 acres and its unkeep until the whole is productive — esti- 

 mated to be at the end of the tenth year. The income from 

 rubber, the yield of which on the first planting is estimated 

 to begin in the fifth year, is also taken into account. It is evi- 

 dent that the actual cost in no two cases will be the same, and 

 that probably no two managers would make the same requi- 

 sitions for implements, hospital outfit, guard room, and 

 office furniture. Thus on one estate a grindstone at $24, as 

 estimated by Mr. Asimont, might be considered as necessary, 

 while on another a lower priced article would suffice. Like- 

 wise the guard room on every plantation might not require 



"12 pairs handcuffs at $2.50." Again, on some estates there 

 might be no use for boats. This is a useful book, none the 

 less, in that it suggests a heading of expenditure which the in- 

 tending planter in the Malay peninsula may expect to have to 

 consider. Mr. Asimont believes in catch crops during the 

 formative period of a rubber plantation, and in weeding. The 

 unit of his calculations is the British dollar, equivalent to 

 2s. 4d. [= 57 cents, gold.] 



THE COPPER HANDBOOK. A MANUAL OF THE COPPER INDUS- 

 try of the World. Volume IX. Houghton. Michigan: Horace J. 

 Stevens, compiler and publisher. 1909. [Cloth. 8vo. Pp. 1628. 

 Price, $5.] 



One can hardly even glance through this book without 

 gaining an enlarged idea of the importance to the world of 

 copper. This metal is treated from every viewpoint — its oc- 

 currence in nature, its mining, and its applications in the in- 

 dustries and otherwise. The very large employment of cop- 

 per in the electrical field makes it if no little interest to a 

 branch of the india-rubber trade, and from the recent increase 

 in the uses of electricity it is safe to predict that the insula- 

 tion of copper wires with rubber will see an even greater ex- 

 pansion. The statistical department is very full, and no fewer 

 than 7,751 copper mines and copper mining companies, 

 throughout the world, are mentioned by name and details 

 of interest given in regard to them. "The Copper Handbook" 

 appears annually. 



OTHER BOOKS RECEIVED. 



ETUDE GENERALE SUR LE FICUS ELASTICA (ROXB). PAR 

 Georges Vernet Ingenieur Agricole. Chemiste a l'lnstitut Pasteur de 

 Nha-Trang (Annam). [Reprinted from Le Catoutchouc et la Gutta 

 Percha, Paris. 1910. 1 31 pages. 



ANNUAL REPORT OF THE DIRECTOR OF FORESTRY OF THE 

 Philippine Islands. For the Period July 1, 1908, to June 30, 1909. Ma- 

 jor George P. Ahem, Director of Forestry. Manila: Bureau of 

 Printing. 1909. [Paper. 8vo. Pp. 20.] 



IN CURRENT PERIODICALS. 



Gefahren, Fehler und Verbesserungen in re Kautschuk-Production 

 Asieus. By D. Sandmann. ~ Der Tropenphlanser, Berlin. XIV-3 (Mar. 

 '10). Pp. 1 17-140; XIV-4 (Apr. 'io). Pp. 180-206. 



Les Fourmis Blanches dans les Plantations d'Hevea. Moyens Pratiques 

 de Destruction. By E. Mathieu. = Journal a" Agriculture Tropicale, Paris. 

 X-104 (Feb. 28, '10). Ppp. 34-38. 



Le Funtumia a la Cote dTvorie. Nouvelles Observations. By Aug. 

 Chevalier. = Journal d'Agriculture Tropicale, Paris. X-104 (Feb. 38, 

 '10). Pp. 44-47. 



Remarques sur la Selection et la Saignee du Manihot Glaziouii. By 

 O. Labroy. = Journal d' Agriculture Tropicale, Paris. X-ios. (Mar. 31, 

 '10). Pp. 65-69. 



La Saignee de I'Hcvea par la Nouvelle Melhode Northway. By O. 

 Labroy. = Journal d' Agriculture Tropicale, Paris. IX-98 (Aug. 31, '09). 

 Pp. 236-237. 



Flora Agricola de la Region Oriental de Columbia — Caucho. _ By J. M. 

 Vargos Vergara. [Relates mainly to the Hevea rubber found in the east 

 part of the republic] = Revista del Ministerio de Obras Publica», 

 Bogota. IV-i8 (Aug. '09). Pp. 597-607. 



OUR TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY. 



To the Editor of The India Rubber World : I want to take 

 this opportunity of congratulating your journal on its 

 Twentieth Anniversary, and on the excellence of its anniversary 

 edition. As you know, the Philippine Bureau of Forestry has 

 been actively interested for several years in studying the eco- 

 nomic production of rubber, and has carried on investigations 

 with a view of introducing it more widely in the Islands. In 

 this work The India Rubber World has been of distinct as- 

 sistance, acting as a sort of international clearing house for new 

 information of interest to growers and manufacturers. You 

 have my best wishes for continued success in the future. 



Very respectfully, george p. ahern, 



Manila, February 14, 19:0. Director of Forestry. 



