110 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD. 



[December 1, 1911. 



acres, and while the official "counts" of trees undertaken by the 

 Forest Department show that there is considerable variation ac- 

 cording to the district, the general conclusion at which 1 arrived 

 by a study of the details available (during the course of a visit 

 to the F. M. S. last year) was that on the average one tree to 

 four acres, i. e., 1,250,000 trees in all, could be relied on. It is 

 probable that, taking good and bad varieties together, the 

 area under discussion contains double the number of trees indi- 

 cated, but for the purpose of forming a reasonable estimate re- 

 garding possible production of the F. M. S., it will be safer to 

 take as a basis the number of trees (one and a quarter millions) 

 as mentioned. The Jelutong tree, like the Hevea, shows marked 

 wound-response, and as the mature trees are very large, frequent- 

 ly rising wxU over 100 ft. in height and measuring 4 to 6 ft. and 

 more in diameter, the amount of latex obtainable is very consid- 

 erable. In a series of tappings made by the Forest Department 

 in the F. M. S. in December, 1909, the first tapping of 48 trees 

 yielded 56 catties of latex (1 cattie=1.33 lbs.), the second tapping 

 of 32 trees produced 66 catties. I came to the conclusion that 

 trees might safely be tapped once a week, but assuming that 40 

 tappings per annum were made, it follows on the above basis that 

 a mature tree should yield about 80 catties, that is, about 106 lbs. 

 of latex per tree per annum. My conclusions in this respect were 

 confirmed by some figures published in connection with an ex- 

 hibit at the recent Rubber Exhibition. This exhibit, shown by the 

 United Malaysian Rubber Co., was a section of a Jelutong tree 

 from the .Sungei Beradi district, in Sarawak. The height of the 

 tree was 75 ft. It had been tapped fortnightly f.:r six months, 

 giving an average yield of 8 lbs. of latex per tapping, that is equal 

 to 96 lbs. in six months' time. Jelutong latex is very rich in 

 solids, that obtainable in the F. M. S. yielding 60 to 70 per cent. 

 of wet Jelutong, containing roughly 10 per cent, of rubber. That 

 is to say, a mature tree will, if properly handled, yield something 

 like 60 to 70 lbs. commercial Jelutong per annum. Assuming, 

 however, that only 40 lbs. were obtained, and that the number of 

 trees referred to above is accurate, and further assuming that the 

 whole of the areas on which the trees are situated can be readily 

 opened up, it is plain that the F. M. S. should yield something 

 like 25.0(X) tons of Jelutong per annum. With regard to the prob- 

 ability of this taking place, I can only say that, judging by what 

 I saw on the spot last summer and from the information obtain- 

 able, I concluded that there should be less difficulty in collection 

 than in Borneo or in Sumatra. 



To sum up the question of supply, we are aware that Sarawak 

 at preesnt is producing at the rate of 10,000 tons per annum, and 

 Dutch Borneo and Sumatra at the rate of 28,000 tons per annum, 

 making 38,000 tons in all. With regard to the future, it is not, 

 of course, possible to speak with certainty, but I think, taking all 

 known facts into consideration, that the following is a reasonable 

 estimate: 



Sarawak 10 — 15,000 tons 



Dutch East Indies 30 — 40,000 " 



Federated Malay States 10 — 25,000 " 



Total 50 — 80,000 tons 



In dealing with the future of Jelutong, the question of raw- 

 material availal)le is not the only point worthy of consideration. 

 The question of quality must not be forgotten, and it is also rea- 

 sonable to enquire whether in the future it will be more expedient 

 to work up the material while it is fresh in the neighborhood of 

 the areas of production, or to export the material to a temperate 

 climate and there to employ it for the purpose of extracting 

 rubber or, alternatively, as a friction material or filler. 



With regard to quality, the same elementary principles apply to 

 Jelutong latex as to all other rubber latices ; that is to say, the 

 quality of the material produced depends very largely on the 

 method of coagulation and general handling. The bulk of the 



material which comes to the market is still coagulated in the most 

 primitive method with kerosene and various native "powders," 

 comprising gypsum, sulphate of copper, alum, etc. While it is 

 noteworthy that rubber of excellent quality may be produced 

 from certain grades of material coagulated in this manner, I have 

 no hesitation in saying (and 1 am basing this statement not on 

 mere theory, but on observations of which I have personal knowl- 

 edge) that an immensely improved product can be obtained by 

 applying a rational method. Rational methods of coagulation not 

 only effect a great improvement in regard to the rubber which 

 can be obtained from the crude material, but also on its keeping 

 properties. If there is one point in connection njith the produc- 

 tion and the future of Jelutong which I wish to emphasize more 

 than another, it is that those interested in this trade should use 

 every means at their disposal to have the old primitive native 

 methods replaced by adequate and modern processes. In another 

 direction also much improvement is possible. While some grades 

 of Jelutong are reasonably clean and free from mechanical im- 

 purities, others contain much dirt, chips of wood and even stones. 

 Seeing that the average Jelutong collector is by no means an un- 

 intelligent person, it should not be beyond the wit of man to de- 

 vise a system of supervision and collection which should result 

 in the disappearance of these unsatisfactory features. It is only 

 necessary to clearly demonstrate to the native collector that it is 

 to his interest to bring to the market clean and well prepared 

 Jelutong, in order that he should do it. The difficulties associated 

 with a problem such as this are necessarily similar to those at- 

 taching to the collection of other wild rubbers, but whereas there 

 are certain things that one cannot expect from the semi-savages 

 in certain parts of Africa and Central and South America, one 

 may reasonably hope to get very different results in the case of 

 the extremely intelligent Malays and certain classes of Dyaks, 

 who constitute the majority of the Jelutong collectors. 



With regard to the question as to whether it will be more ex- 

 pedient to work up fresh Jelutong in the tropics or to export it 

 to a temperate climate and there deal with it, there is no question 

 in my mind, so far as the production of rubber is concerned, that 

 a quality can be produced from fresh material which is unattain- 

 able in the case of goods which have undergone a lengthy jour- 

 ney. The deterioration which takes place in crude Jelutong dur- 

 ing transit is undoubtedly a matter of degree, but it is generally 

 admitted that such deterioration does take place, and that it is 

 frequently of a serious nature. As far as my personal experience 

 goes, I have never seen rubber prepared from Jelutong exported 

 say to Europe or to the United States, which is of the same grade 

 as that which can be produced from fresh material. It must also 

 be remembered that fresh Jelutong contains something like 60 to 

 70 per cent, of water, and that when exported freight has to be 

 paid on this useless material. While I willingly admit that in- 

 dustrial operations on a large scale in a tropical climate involve 

 certain difficulties and disadvantages, I am of opinion, taking all 

 the circumstances into consideration, that the future of Jelutong, 

 in so far as the production of rubber therefrom is concerned, is 

 most likely to develop on the lines of its rational treatment in the 

 East. 



A COMPLIMENT TO THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD. 



The "New York Journal of Commerce" has recently quoted 

 quite generously from the pages of The India Rubber World 

 on various rubber matters, but particularly in reference to the 

 discussion of the listing of crude rubber on the Produce 

 Exchange. 



As the "Journal of Commerce" is exceptionally careful as to 

 the accuracy and authoritativeness of its quotations, to be freely 

 cited in its columns is distinctly a compliment. 



The accepted authority on South .\merican rubber — "The 

 Rubber Country of the Amazon," by Henry C. Pearson. 



1 



