Rubber, 33 
household word, and seems to possess a magical interest which has never yet 
been associated with any other plant, so that it is verily a name to conjure with. 
It is of great interest to read of the doubts and fears which possessed would-be 
planters of H. brasiliensis in the Old World. The following extracts, culled from 
the Kew Bulletin of 1893, show how small the promise of establishing a paying 
business was then apparent :— 
“Dr. Trimen to Royal Gardens, Kew. 
[Received February 6th, 1893]. 
“Tndia-rubber (2tbs.) from Hevea brasiliensis grown in Heneratgoda Botanic 
Garden, Ceylon. 
“ The tree from which this was obtained is now 15 years old, and the stem has 
a circumference of 6 feet 5 inches at a yard from the ground. It has now been 
tapped three times and has given the following yield :— 
Tn 1888 it gave 1ib. 113 oz. 
Tn 1890 it gave 2Ibs. 10 oz. 
In 1892 it gave 2lbs. 13 ozs. 
making a total of 7tbs. 2? oz. of dry rubber in five years. The tree is in no respect 
the worse for this treatment ; the rest in alternate years permitting the scars on 
the trunk to become completely healed ” ‘‘ (Signed) Henry Trimen.” 
The second extract consists of the report of Messrs. Hecht, Levis and Khan to 
whom the authorities of the Kew Gardens submitted this sample. It reads, as 
follows : 
**21, Municipal Lane, 
London, E.C., 
7th February, 1893. 
*< Dear Sir,—We have received your yesterday's letter, and also the sample of 
Ceylon rubber, which you have sent to us. The quality of this rubberis very 
good indeed, and the curing of the same seems to have been effected in a proper 
manner. This quality would be easily saleable, and we estimate its value to-day 
as being about 2s. 3d. to 2s. 6d. per tb., according to whether the rubber would be 
dry ordamp. It would be easily saleable in large quantities. 
« We return the sample to you, according to your desire. 
(Sgd.) “ Hecht, Levis & Kahn.” 
From these small experiments carried on and persisted in, with praiseworthy 
British pluck, has sprung the rubber trade of the East. The progeny from these 
trees have spread throughout many countries and have lived to be tapped by 
various races, possibly their descendants may yet survive to prove the salvation 
of this so-called “‘ Magnificent Province.” 
What we would emphasise is the manner in which the Ceylon planter met the 
terrible fate which befell his coffee areas, the manly spirit in which he experi- 
mented with Ceara rubber (Manhot glaziovii) and the entire success with which 
his efforts with Hevea brasiliensis have been crowned, 
