96 



Ceylon, Java, Dutch East Indies, West Africa, and the Congo. 

 Now, perhaps, about 2,000,000 acres are in the plantings. 



Another rubber tree of importance, especially in Central 

 America, is Cast ilia elastica. 



Rubber is also obtained commercially from several other 

 species and some of them are cultivated. A sage-brush plant, 

 the guayule, common in Mexico, yields rubber, and a company 

 backed by American capital has been engaged in obtaining 

 rubber from wild plants and in learning how to cultivate the 

 guayule. During the recent world war a survey was made of 

 the rubber-yielding plants growing wild in our western states. 

 About 15 kinds were found in abundance and it was estimated 

 that 300,000,000 lbs. of good rubber could be obtained from 

 these plants in case of national necessity. 



Several different kinds of latex-yielding plants from the 

 various greenhouses at the Botanical Garden were assembled 

 for the lecture, also implements used in the various processes 

 of handling crude rubber, and specimens of rubber in various 

 stages of its utilization were brought from the display cases of 

 the Museum for illustration. 



A. B. Stout 



PUBLIC LECTURES DURING APRIL 



The following lectures, which are open to the public without 

 charge, are given in the Museum Building on Saturday atter- 

 noons at four o'clock: 

 April 5. " Potatoes and Potato Substitutes." 



Dr. H. H. Rusby 

 April 12. "A \ isit to the Yellowstone National Park." 



Dr. P. A. Rydberg. 

 April ig. "Destructive Fungi." Dr. F. J. Seaver. 



April 26. "Botanizing in Sweden." Dr. \V. A. Murrill. 



NOTES, NEWS, AND COMMENT 



A South American collection of the utmost importance, which 

 has been recently incorjiorated in the herbarium, is that secured 

 by Dr. F. W. Pennell, Mr. E. P. Killip, and Dr. T. E. Hazen 

 in Colombia. This amounts to about 4500 sheets and contains 

 a considerable number of new species. 



