44 



It will be seen that important commercial uses are indicated for 

 these seeds which are at present a waste product. 



I trust that the further action suggested in the Report may be 

 taken to put the seeds on the English market. The Imperial In- 

 stitute is taking steps to bring them under the notice of brokers and 

 merchants, and will be glad to be of any further assistance to the 

 Government of the Straits Settlements in the matter. 



I am, &c, 



WYNDHAM R. DUN STAN, 



Director \ 



The Under Secretary of State, Colonial Office. 



IMPERIAL INSTITUTE. 

 South Kensington, London, S. VV.) 



Report on the Constituents of the Seeds of Hevea Brasiliensk and 

 their Commercial uses by Professar Wyndham R. Dunstan, M A . 

 F R S Director 



A consignment of the seed ol the Para Rubber tree [Hevea 

 Br asiliensis) was forwarded to tin, 1 Imperial Institute by the As 

 sistant Superintendent of Forests and Gardens, Penang, at the re- 

 quest of the .Superintendent of Government Plantations, Selangor. 

 and is referred to in a letter dated 16th October, 1902. 



A sample of decorticated Para rubber seeds was subsequently 

 sent to the Imperial Institute by Mr. L. Wray, Curator of the Peral< 

 Museum, Straits Settlements, together with a covering letter dated 

 15th February, 1903, and a third sample, consisting of meal pre 

 pared from these seeds by a local planter, was forwarded to the 

 Imperial Institute by the Acting Superintendent of Forests and 

 (iardens, Penang, together with a letter dated 17th April, f903. 



In the letters accompanying these samples it was staled that 

 large areas in the Straits Settlements and the Mala) Native States 

 have now been planted w ith Hevea brasiliensis, and that in a few 

 years large supplies of this seed will be available. It was therefore 

 considered desirable that the seed should be examined in order to 

 determine its commercial value and to ascertain especially to what 

 purposes the oil and meal prepared from it could be applied. It is 

 suggested in the letter dated 1 6th October, 1902, that the oil might 

 be used in the preparation of varnish and that the residue might 

 be used as a cattle food. 



CHEMICAL EXAMINATION OF SEEDS. 



These samples have been submitted to chemical examination in 

 the Scientific and Technical Department of the Imperial Institute 

 with the following results ; — 



The kernels constitute about 50 per cent, by weight of the w hole 

 seeds. On extraction with light petroleum, they yielded 42. 3 per 



