47 



has been largely decomposed. It is probable however, that if the 

 oil were expressed from the decorticated seeds, the residual cake 

 could be utilized as a feeding material, as is shown by the following 

 comparison between the calculated composition of such a cake and 

 the composition of some commercial feeding cakes : — 



Calculated com- 



sture 



cent. 



cent. 



teids 

 cent. 



re 



cent. 



n 



CD 



bo- 

 rates 

 cent. 



rient 



position of : — 

 i 



•» 



*o 



u. 

 <D 

 Z~ 



< Oh 



a 



E S. 



4-J . 



to cx 



^ ~ a, 



Nut 

 valt 



Para rubber seed 



















cake 





•3 6 



519 



26.8 



5. CO 



6.00 



43-^4 



84.25 



Linseed cake (new 



















process) 





94 



5 4 



35.^ 



7-' 



7-5 



35° 



87.85 



Linseed cake (old 



















process) 



] 



08 



5.0 



28.6 



6.7 



10.6 



33.3 



91.2s 



Cottonseed cake 



















(new process) 



I [.12 



6. 10 



38.47 



9.78 



878 



^5-75 



84.4 



These figures shew that a cake prepared from the Para rubber 

 seed meal would compare favourably with other cake-? as a cattle 

 food, and that it contains a particularly low prop >rtio:i of indiges- 

 tible matter (fibre). 



Co m *y> ercia I valuation.. 



Specimens of both the seeds and oil have been submitted to lead- 

 ing brokers. They report that the oil could probably be used as a 

 substitute for linseed oil and would be worth at present about £20 

 per ton, but that oil merchants would not take it up unless they first 

 had an opportunity of testing it in bulk. The brokers consider that 

 it would be more profitable to ship the seeds themselves to this 

 country, as is done in the case of most other oil seeds. They value 

 the decorticated seeds at £10 to £12 per ton, and add that they 

 would be prepared to take two or three tons at the lower price in 

 order to introduce them into the market. 



The para rubber seed meal was not commercially valued, since 

 in its present condition it could not be utilized in any way. It may 

 be stated however that a Para rubber seed cake of the composition 

 already given should be almost as valuable as linseed cake, which 

 at present sells from £5.15 to £6.15 per ton. 



The results of this investigation lead to the conclusion that the 

 seed ot the Para rubber tree is a valuable economic produce and is 

 likely to become of considerable commercial importance. The oil 

 could probably be employed for the purposes to which linseed oil 

 is applied, whilst the residual cake would be of value as a cattle 

 tood. It must be pointed out however that the oil should be ex- 

 pressed from the kernels before these have been ground, and for 

 this reason the seeds should if possible be decorticated and the 

 kernels exported unground. 



WYNDHAM R. DUNS FAN. 



21st November \ 1903. 



