248 
principle, the materials used being only a little different. The 
loose outside bark of the tree is cleaned off to a height of about 
three feet. Beneath, 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 bark above this, from which the 
milk flows down to the gutter, whence it is conveyed to fall into 
a calabash ignia placed. The other mode is by winding 
round the trunk the stout flexible stem of a climber, and claying 
it round iride so that no milk may escape between the trunk 
and the p eisean These plans are not extensively adopted, and 
can only be successfully put in apes where the trees have 
not been Dico tapped. There is alw ways a great deal of 
* negrohead,' the result of the distin the mi "d ^ to run, and 
of the large quantity of clay employed in the pro 
* Going from tree to tree at a sort of running Ded y collector 
empties the contents into a large calabash, which he carries in his 
hand. As he pours the milk out of each cup he draws his thumb 
or chen dich over the bottom to clean out some which otherwise 
ould adhere. I is 
m 
be ready for the following morning. The trees occur at various 
distances from 10 to 100 yards apart, and, as I travelled over the 
ape network of muddy footpaths, I continually felt —€— 
urprised that the natives had not yet seen the 
that yout be derived by forming plantations, wher eby more 
than twice the quantity of caoutchouc vem ^n collected in one- 
fourth the time, and at far € cost and la 
The trees are atit if they have a circumference of eighteen or 
twenty-four inches, and the rough process above described is 
carried on for many years, until the cotisiantt 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, i in order to avoid this injury, to employ an 
able to penetrate beneath the inner bark. With this precaution it 
€ probably be found unnecessary to rest the trees as has been 
mmended ; but actual experience alone can decide on the 
tho of tapping which will secure the greatest yield with the 
east damage to the tree’s general vitality. 
PREPARATION OF RUBBER. 
he preparation of Para rubber has often been described. The 
process that turns out the best quality of rubber depends merely 
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 
erem. over a fire of palm-nuts. As suggested by Mr. Biffen, 
rubber fr tation during transit. The belief in the 
efficacy of the s moking dn cess is so strong that even when the 
t rubber is i bbiak d from cultivated trees in Ceylon Bee 
ures 
de Straits Settlements ‘the prices quoted are always below those 
