158 PARA RUBBER. 



thoroughly and then drying it in the sun, consistently stirring and 

 turning it over till it is uniformly slightly damped. The incinerator 

 earth, which had been exposed to the elements, was damp when 

 received, and only wanted partial drying to fit it for packing. Its 

 weight is against its use, but both it and the powdered charcoal have 

 the great advantage of preventing any attacks of mould or bacteria 

 likely to cause decomposition. Other experiments with powdered 

 coir fibre and coirdust, sawdust, and variously prepared soils have 

 been tried, but the results do not seem to have ever been as success- 

 ful."* 



I am obliged to Mr. H. F. Macmillan, Curator of the Royal Bo- 

 tanic Gardens, Peradeniya. for the following notes on the methods 

 of drying and packing seeds of Para rubber : — 



" Unless the seeds are sown or despatched almost as soon as 

 collected they should be spread on a dry cool floor, and turned over 

 frequently to prevent heating. It is often unavoidably necessary to 

 keep the seeds on hand for several days, and an important question 

 is the condition under which they may be stored to preserve their 

 vitality best. When a large amount has to be dealt with a quantity 

 of broken-up charcoal should be in readiness for mixing with these, 

 or, if this be not available, dry sand may with advantage be used 

 instead. On no account should the seeds be covered or surrounded 

 with any damp material ; nor should they, on the other hand, be 

 unduly exposed to sun heat. Small quantities of Hevea seeds may 

 be packed with coconut dust in biscuit or tobacco tins and sent long 

 journeys by post. On short journeys not exceeding six or seven 

 days they may be sent by post, without any packing, in small 

 gunny bags holding 500 and weighing about 6 pounds. Obviously, 

 however, this would not be practicable for a large quantity, even 

 if the postage were not prohibitive. For journeys of about a fort- 

 night to three weeks ordinary strong cases, about 30" x 16" x 12", 

 and holding when packed 6,000 to 7,000 seeds may be used. A 

 thin layer of dry charcoal mixture is placed in the bottom of the 

 case, then a covering of paper ( to prevent the compost filtering 

 to one side in transit ), next a layer of seed followed by mixture, 

 and so on. One part charcoal to two of coconut dust or sawdust 

 is very satisfactory. This has also the merit of being light in weight, 

 which is a consideration in transport charges. It must be remem- 

 bered, however, that the success of this method depends upon the 

 freshness of the seed as well as on the length of journey. The 

 method of packing the seed in sealed kerosine oil tins has been 

 tried, but with indifferent results. Treating the seed with a 4 

 per cent, solution of copper sulphate or formalin may have the effect 

 of preventing the growth of mould on the seeds and thus prolonging 

 their vitality, but its application is unnecessary, except perhaps in 

 extreme cases. By far the most satisfactory means of transporting 

 Hevea seeds is by way of Wardian cases/' 



Straits Agricultural Bulletin, I 00(>. 



