HOW TO PREPARE RUBBER, 77 



America, instead of the juice of the moon-plant, a solution of 

 alum is used to coagulate the milk ; but it is said that the in- 

 judicious use of alum tends to make the rubber hard and brittle, 

 and to depreciate its value. As, however, it is desirable to place 

 both methods before planters, in order to lead them to carry on 

 experiments, and to prepare the rubber in the most economical 

 and expeditious manner possible, I quote the following, which 

 appeared in the columns of the Colonial Guardian, published at 

 Belize : 



"EXTRACTION AND PREPARATION OF INDIARUBBER. The milk 



of the indiarubber-tree is obtained by making longitudinal 

 incisions on the bark. It must then be strained through a 

 fine sieve to free it from minute portions of wood and other 

 impurities, and placed into a cask standing upright. After 

 remaining for a short time in this receptacle, a quantity of rain 

 or spring water, double the quantity of the rubber milk, is to be 

 added thereto, and strained through a piece of brown cotton 

 into another cask. More water equal in quantity to that 

 already added should be thrown into the cask, so that there 

 should be four parts of water to one of rubber milk. This 

 mixture is to be allowed to remain in that cask twenty-four 

 hours, after which the indiarubber floats at the top of the liquid. 

 The water may then be carefully drawn off by removing the 

 spigot from the lower end of the cask, and watching to stop the 

 flow as soon as any indiarubber begins to pass. This is easily 

 ascertained by observing, accompanying the blackish water 

 which flows from the cask, small, long, and thin threads of rubber. 

 "When all the dirty water shall have been removed from the 

 cask, other four parts of clean water to one of the rubber are to 

 be again added, and after twenty-four hours the same operation 

 is to be gone through with. The remaining liquid should then 

 be placed in small receptacles, with little spigots through which 



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