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THE CEYLON EXHIBITION. 



We have received the Report on the Ceylon Exhibition of 

 Rubber by Mr. Zacharias, an interesting pamphlet of 24 pages, 

 well worth study, an interesting point brought out is the excellence 

 of the Duckwari Para biscuits grown at 2,500 feet elevation in 

 Ceylon and coagulated with tartaric acid instead of acetic. This 

 seems to show that at certain places at least at this elevation, rubber 

 can be grown successfully, but it is only fair to point out that the 

 acreage is only i-| acres under cultivation there and that as 

 Mr. Zacharias points out the excellence of the sample may be due 

 to the use of tartaric acid. It must also be remembered that the 

 Ceylon exhibits were only 5 lb. exhibits. Whether the rubber is 

 actually better, and can be produced in as large quantities over 

 2,000 feet elevation remains to be seen. Perhaps also it is worth 

 while again pointing out that actual elevation of feet from sea level, 

 is by no means the only factor to be taken into consideration in 

 mountain cultivations, temperature, prevailing winds, humidity and 

 probably other factors as yet obscure come into play, and I have 

 reason to conjecture are of more importance than altitude in feet. 



Ceara rubber produced quite a sensation at the show. The best 

 trees were grown at elevations of 1,500 to 3,000 feet in Ceylon. 

 The rubber was considered by the judges equal to or better than 

 Para rubber. The best sheets, from Kondesalle, however, were only 

 the produce of 300 trees, from 8 to 20 years old. Here again one 

 would like to see more the results of extensive cultivation and 

 larger samples. That in some places there is a distinct field for 

 Ceara rubber one cannot doubt. That rubber of first class quality 

 in spite of its excess of resins can be procured from it, is proved by 

 these samples. But one must remember the immense amount of 

 Ceara rubber which has been at different times planted throughout 

 the East and the very few trees which survive. 



There is a 

 constantly fn 



will not grow. Here and there however seedlings have come up 

 and grown one or two with fair sized trees, but exclusively on the 

 few sandy spots in the neighbourhood. In the richer soils where 

 Para rubber is doing well, it seems to fail, either not germinating at 

 all or when grown dying away. 



A large number of prizes were offered for machinery and 

 methods, many of which were not competed for, some of the classes 

 were indeed rather vaguely described, and of some, e.g., best machine 

 for destroying stumps, and best machine for uprooting stumps, 

 practically the same thing, the well-known American stump rooters 

 would do just as well for Para rubber trees as for any others. A 

 silver medal was awarded to Mr. Bird for using cream of tartar 

 instead of acetic acid. The use of tartaric acid and its effects on 

 rubber was pointed out by Ch. Weber many years ago. Acetic 

 acid was substituted for it chiefly on the ground of expense. 



Brown & Davidson's smoking machine and that of Macadam, 

 seem very ingenious as is Mr. Bamber's curing house to judge 

 rom the description, but whether these expensive apparatus 

 (as one judges they must be) will ever be practically of use remains to 



