TREES THAT COUNT CASTILLOA ELASTICA 97 



with the Castilloa is the juice of the moon vine, which 

 abounds wherever the tree in its wild state is to be 

 found. The latex, so different from that of the Hevea, 

 gives an acid reaction and will therefore yield to 

 the introduction of alkalies as a coagulant. Often 

 enough, however, the only coagulant used by the 

 native is the leaf of the Calathea aforementioned. 

 This is a large banana-like leaf upon which the latex 

 is spread in a thin coating. Exposure to the sun 

 and air quickly solidifies the milk and a second layer 

 is thereupon spread. Finally two of the leaves have 

 their rubber-covered fronts placed together, and, 

 after being pressed by treading upon them for a 

 time, the leaves are removed and a leaflike sheet of 

 prepared rubber is the result. 



Coagulation by creaming has been found to answer 

 well. The method is simple and effective and follows 

 that associated with the creaming of Hevea latex in 

 some parts of Ceylon to-day. The latex is put into 

 a barrel having a tap at the bottom. To every part 

 of latex three parts of hot water are added. At the 

 end of twenty-four hours the water is run off and the 

 process repeated until the rubber appears in a mass 

 separated on the surface of the water. It is then 

 taken out, pressed and dried. In this form it has 

 an appearance equal to the finest Para, and, more- 

 over, is comparable thereto in elasticity, resiliency, 

 durability and strength. 



No rubber tree requires to be more carefully tapped 

 than that of the Castilloa family. The tubes which 

 produce the milk run in such a direction that only 

 horizontal gashes with the machete serve to release 



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