268 
Mr. J. W. Oliver, Deputy Conservator of Forests in Charge of 
Tenasserim Circle, supplied the following information explaining 
the method of collecting and drying the rubber :— 
The milk collected from the trees west of the stream was 
poured into a deal-wood box, and the milk from the trees east of 
The mi p t 
morning, placed in hé akide during the heat of the day, and 
again nos out in the e in the ee at ee three o kanin 
Im as the milk became firm, more milk was poured over it. 
The milk coagulated 80 quickly on the trees that about 30 per 
cent. of the milk was collected in the shape of sernamby. Instead 
of keeping the em separate, has odd pw were placed in the 
milk in order to secure the rubber in mass. These are the 
rubber in any way, the odd pieces themselves being de and so 
umo of a better quality than the surrounding rubber 
ROYAL GARDENS, KEW, TO INDIA OFFICE. 
Royal Gardens, Kew 
pud June 4, 1889. 
AM desired by Mr. Thiselton- -Dyer to acknowledge the 
BSS of your letter of the 26th April = (R. S. & C. 614) 
forwarding a copy of a letter received from the Gov vern nment of 
India with enclosure reporting the r esults obiahiód. from tapping 
trees of Heve asiliensis near Mergui in Tenasserim. 
2. 'The specimens of caoutchouc riii to were duly received 
by parcels post, and they were subsequently submitted for valua- 
tion and report, through S. W. Silver, Esq., F.L.S., to the India 
Rubber, Gutta Percha and Telegraph Works Company, T at 
Silvertown. 
3. I enclose herewith a copy of the valuation and repor 
received respecting them. On the whole this report is jeg apii 
Eus pu Rana of rubber available (in no case exceeding a 
ou in weight) rendered its manipulation Bg, s^ 
difficult + pen bearing this fact in mind the result as shown in 
the samples of prepared rubber sent in a separate cover is very 
encouraging. 
4. It will be noticed that the best quality, valued at 2s. 3d. per 
ound, is nearly equal to the best South American rubber. This 
was labelled * Sernamby" and was formed by milk which 
— immediately on the trees in the dry season 
5. The rubber (marked No. 3) obtained from troos during s 
rainy season was dried over a fire. The quality of this appears t 
be better than either No. 1 or No. 2, and it approaches very near 
to No. 4. Except as regards the difficulty of coagulating the 
robe there appears from these experiments to be little differ- 
e between the specimens collected during the rainy season 
d those collected “ when the rains had fully ceased,” 
6. All the trees tapped were young and few were more than 
12 inches in diameter. Mr. Thiselton-Dyer is of opinion that it 
is very desirable that these interesting experiments should be 
