circulates through the wood, and contains from 

 32 to 44 per cent of gum. 



Pure rubber milk is white when it first runs 

 from the tree, and closely resembles that of 

 the cow; but in the drying process it gradually 

 oxidizes and turns black. 



COAGULATING NATIVE METHOD 



When the milk is brought in from the forest 

 it is thinly spread on the long, palm-shaped 

 leaves of the oja blanca, which have first been 

 laid on the ground in the hot sun. 



Toward the stem, where the milk lies thick- 

 est, it is necessary to stir it while drying; 

 otherwise it would coat over thickly on the 

 outside and be full of the residue fluid, bring- 

 ing a less price in consequence. 



When the leaves are coated evenly, a quarter 

 of an inch thick, they are piled one above 

 another and pressed hard enough to cause the 

 rubber strips to adhere closely. Then, by a 

 dextrous movement, the tough leaves are 

 pulled off and the thin layers are rolled into 

 slabs ready for packing. 



CLEANSING. 



The slabs of dried rubber are packed in bales 

 of 150 pounds each, covered with the native- 

 made matting, sewed up in sacks, shipped per 

 steamer to various countries and sold to the 

 rubber manufacturers. 



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