Rubber 



281 



in little sprays, and are succeeded by dry fruits each, containing three seeds about the size of 

 large Kentish cob' nuts, and with the curious brown and black mottling so characteristic 

 of seeds of many plants of tins family, e.g., the castor oil-bean. The seeds are very oily and 

 soon lose their vitality, so that special precautions have to be taken to transport them 

 successfully over long 'distances when required for propagation. 



Collection of Wild Rubber 

 ■ In Brazil, the trees are 

 tapped during the dry season, 

 which varies in different districts. 

 The rubber collectors or serin- 

 guieros search the forests for 

 suitable trees which should not 

 be less than about two feet in 

 girth. An incision is made in 

 the bark with an axe or cutlass 

 and a receptacle fastened imme- 

 diately beneath. The latex be- 

 gins to run at once and is 

 caught. A number of cuts are 

 made in each tree, a cup fastened 

 under each, and allowed to re- 

 main for a few hours. At the 

 end of this time the flow of 

 latex has ceased and the con- 

 tents of all the little cups 

 transferred to a larger vessel. 

 The next step is to convert 

 the still liquid latex into solid 

 rubber. A fire is lighted and 

 nuts of various species of palms 

 placed on it. These produce a 

 dense smoke containing acetic 

 acid and creosote, which rapidly 

 coagulates any latex exposed to 

 it. A kind of paddle is dipped 

 in the latex and held in the 

 smoke. The rubber coagulates, 

 forming a thin layer on the 

 paddle. This is then dipped into 

 the latex and again smoked. 

 Another layer is deposited on 

 the first, and the process is 

 continued until a sufficiently 

 large mass of solid rubber has 

 been collected on the paddle. 

 It is then removed and is ready 

 for sale and export. 



Plantation of Para Rubber 



It will be convenient to pre- 

 sent under this heading a resume 



Bv permission of Mcss-s. Madmen. 5.W Lnue 



TAPPING ACCORDING TO THE " DIRECT OBLIQUE " METHOD 



