IN NICARAGUA 



175 



all of Castilloa, which looked excellently. Then we returned to the 

 Manhattan House for noon breakfast, and in the afternoon walked 

 across lots to look at the rubber on the Cukra plantation. Just as we 

 got there our first real shower came down. That was not any spring 

 rain ; it was more like a cloudburst, and kept us penned in the house 

 for nearly an hour. It cleared off, however, as suddenly as it came on, 

 and then we began to examine the interesting experiments that were 

 being carried on by Mr. Waldron. 



He had already begun tapping some of his six-year-old trees, and 

 close to the house where we had taken refuge from the shower was 

 his coagulating and drying house. In this house were galvanized iron 



MANHATTAN PLANTATION. DWELLING HOUSE. 



cans holding half a barrel, each filled with latex mixed with water and 

 formaldehyde, while from the ceiling hung long strips of rubber being 

 air dried. Mr. Waldron used the formaldehyde to keep the latex from 

 coagulating too soon, and he washed out the vegetable acids and the 

 albumen by diluting the latex and creaming it. He found some diffi- 

 culty in coagulating, and had, therefore, fitted up a couple of caldrons 

 close to the house, and was boiling the latex. The rubber appeared to 

 be very clean, but a little short. Indeed, Mr. Waldron acknowledged 

 that he thought it was coalesced instead of coagulated. 



From the coagulating house we walked down through the rubber 



