401 
article of commerce, used in the manufacture of American chewing 
America as a cement for small articles. Its use for insulating 
urposes was discussed so long ago as 1876, and on a specimen 
submitted by Kew to Messrs. Siemens Bros., it was reported that 
‘in mixing with india-rubber it made the latter too brittle and 
therefore cannot improve the quality of the rubber if intended for 
the insulation of cable wires’’ (Kew Report, 1876, p. 18). As 
showing the importance of the trade in the raw product, ‘‘ Chicle 
Gum Concessions" have been granted in Ni d ee of 
Trade Journ. Mar 10, 1906, p. 283) and in oats ras (l.c. Dec. 24, 
1908, p. ; the former covering a period of five years and 
the latter ten AT Canada and the United States are the chief 
importing centres. The exports from British Honduras in 1911 
amounted to 3,219,990 lb., and in 1912, 3,909,277 lb., 72 per 
cent. being the produce of Mexico and Guatemala (Col. Rep. Ann. 
No. 784, 1914, p. 11). 
A fully grown tree may yield from 30-35 lb. of gum per 
nnum (Sperber, Tropenpfl. xv. 1911, , or according to 
auiótlior go e Mexico] 3-6 Ib. orne, Cons. Rep. Mise. 
No. , 1896, p. 13); fruits or leaves are said to pro oduce 
each 1 lb. of gum (le. p. 12). It is collected by tapping the 
trunk in the same way as for gutta percha or ubber. In Hon 
duras and Mexico, where the trade is of importance, the V-shaped 
incision is favoured. It is advisable to tap trees only that are 
not less than a foot in diameter towards the base. The collection 
about the same period of the year [Sept.—Oct.] from the leaves, 
but from the fruit before it eus [about March or April] ( ie 
t he preparation for export consists merely of solidi- 
fying the juice by heating in a large pot until it is found lo. set 
firm on cooling; before the cooling 1s complete it may be worked 
or kneaded and made into blocks. + Good samples are white and 
somewhat in colour, and there appears to be some variation in me 
trees producing chicle gum. In Mexico the *' Zapote Chico” 1 
described as most abundant in the forests and a common tree dide 
cultivation; red and white kinds are distinguished—the “white 
= “red zapote.”’ 
fru 
G) . 222; Dering, seq., Pharm. Journ. seq., Cook and Collins, 
Econ. PI. Porto Rico (1903) p. 6). Sufficiently complete specimens 
are not yet available at Kew to decide whetlier the Moe is due 
to botanical differences or to conditions of soil and clim 
Propagated by seed, cuttings, suckers, or layers; lr grown 
n good well-drained soil. Requires a tropical climate and average 
rainfall It will succeed up to an altitude of from 2000—3000 
id and in general the cultivation may be regarded as approxi- 
ately the same as for coffee, with perhaps a greater distance 
(20-25 ft.) allowed when transplanting to permanent places. The 
