83 
wherever a plantation is formed with preparing house, convenient 
tapping ind certainly always be carried on when the weather is 
fi ^ There are two other methods adopted in tapping, 
which are chiefly confined to the Upper Amazon and tributaries. 
Both are exactly on the same principle, the materials used bein, ng 
only a little different. The loose outside bark o is 
cleaned off to a height of about three feet. Beneat hji a gutter or 
raised border of clay is pasted or luted to the trunk, enclosing 
one-half of the entire circumference. Cuts are thickly made in 
the k above this, from which the milk flows down to the 
gutter, whence it is conveyed to fall into a calabash conveniently 
placed. The other mode is by winding round the trunk the stout 
flexible stem of a climber, and claying it round securely, so that 
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pears the milk has to run, and of the large quantity of clay 
oyed in the process 
“Going from tree to iro at a sort of running pace, the collector 
empties m contents into a large calabash, whi ich he carries in his 
d. Ash the milk out of ea ch eup he draws his thumb 
or forefinger over the bottom to clean out some which otherwise 
would adhere. Indeed, a small quantity does remain, which is 
afterwards pulled off and classed as sernamby. The cups on being 
emptied are laid in a little heap at the base of each tree to be 
ready for the following morning. The trees occur at various 
and surprised that the natives had not yet see 
that would be derived by forming wn vid whereby more than 
twice the quantity of caoutchouc me be collected in one-fourth 
the time, and at far less cost and labour 
The trees are tapped if they have a TR of eighteen 
or twenty-four inches, and the rough process above described is 
carried on for many years, until the constant and extensive injury 
to the young wood causes their death, for some years previous to 
which event they almost cease to yield milk and are practically 
abandoned. 
It will be advisable, in -— to avoid this injury, to employ an 
instrument for cutting so shaped and guarded that it shall not be 
able to penetrate beneath the inner bark. With this ni dire 
e 
recommended ; but actual experience alone can decide on the 
method of tapping which will secure the greatest yield with the 
least damage to the tree's general vitality. 
PREPARATION OF RUBBER. 
on a cheap and accessible supply of labour. The implements 
used are very simple. So far no rubber is so good as that prepared 
by smoking over a fire of uiu. -nuts. As suggested by Mr. pee 
coagulation is partly due to the acetic acid contained i in the smok 
25781 — F2 
