tropical plants, and did not really care whether they were 

 black, blue, or pink, so long as 'they yidd'ed rubber. 

 I felt annoyed and disgus-ted. Having- read somewhere 

 that he must be a poor man who does not often repeat 

 himself, I held forth to my oompanion on ithe characters 

 and differences in requirements of various species at his 

 command in most tropical landte. But of no avail. My 

 exposition merely drew forth ithe remark: "How i- 

 teresting- " ; I shall keep my eye on that youthful aspirant, 

 and some day perhaps refresh myself with the details 

 of his vari-coloured plantation. 



Rubber Fever. 



There are not many such passengers going eastward 

 at the present time ; a few are going out to settle down 

 on plantations; others are on pleasure bent. There is 

 one 'traveller who has obviously suffered from the ravages 

 of that terrible " rubber fever." He has my sympathy. 

 I am not referring to the feeling which overcomes one after 

 seeing rubber sold at from 2S. gd. to 3s. 8d., and sink to 

 3s. 2d. wiithin a couple or so weeks, to the condition ot 

 the share snatcher as settling day approaches, nor to 

 that from which most rubber planters sooner or later 

 suffer. It is quite a fever of its own. I have suffered 

 as much as the other man, and can well understand the 

 necessity of a change of atmosphere. Since the day 

 Mr. John Ferguson suggested I should write my "Hevea 

 brasiliensis " I have suffered from rubber "nerves"; 

 now that I am on board my eyes must wander tO' the 

 tarpaulins, flooring, joints of all descriptions, and other 

 people's footwear, to see where rubber comes in. Ru 

 ber becomes the standard against which all other articles 

 must be compared ; even to the toughness of the steak, 

 the lelipi of the ship, and the noiseless tread of the rope- 

 soled boot ; everything on land or sea must needs be 

 compared with that goddess of commerce — rubber. Even 

 my youngest son talks of rubber prices and shares. And 

 now I am actually taking a holiday in the land where 

 rubber trees grow. It is impossible to get away from 

 it once you have dipped deeply. Within half an hour of 

 leaving Holborn Viaduct for Dover my train companion, 

 bound for Ceylon, discussed the subject of rubber plant- 



