'3° 



nection with extensive plantations of the trees, and even then it 

 may be doubted whether it would be advantageous to pluck leaves 

 from cultivated trees for the purpose of extracting the gutta 

 percha from them. This point, however, must be left for the con- 

 sideration of the local authorities. 



In view of the great superiority of Gutta Taban Merah over the 

 other varieties of gutta-percha it would be desirable in any further 

 experiments upon this subject to use the leaves of that tree, as 

 they would in all probability- furnish the best results. 



REPORT ON RUBBER FROM THE 

 STRAITS SETTLEMENTS. 



A sample o( Para Rubber, No. 7, was forwarded with the pre- 

 ceding specimens of gutta-percha lor mechanical examination and 

 valuation. It had been prepared from a tree growing in the 

 Botanic Gardens, Penang, and consisted of three rectangular cakes 

 5 inches by 6 inches, and about one-eighth of an inch in thickness. 



The rubber had a dark brown colour, was translucent and con- 

 tained no visible impurities. One piece was slightly sticky but 

 otherwise the sample exhibited very good physical properties. 



On analysis it furnished the following results :-- 



Moisture ... ... 0*15 percent. 



Caoutchouc . . -.95'o ,, 



Resin ... ... 43 



Ash ... . .. 0*5 



The rubber was therefore of very good quality, and it compared 

 very favourably with hard Para from South America, though the 

 amount of resin was rather higher than is usually met with in the 

 best qualities of the latter. 



The brokers to whom it was submitted for commercial valuation 

 reported that consignments of similar quality would realise the 

 current market value of good Para Rubber. 



WYNDHAM. R. DUNSTAN. 



gth February, 1904. 



Analysis of Castilloa and Funtumia Rubber. 



Samples of Castilloa and Funtumia rubber were sent from Trini- 

 dad, by Mr. HART, the Superintendent of the Botanic Gardens, to 

 the Imperial Institute where they were examined and analysed by 

 Professor WYNDHAM R. DUBfSTAN, of the Castilloa, rubber was 

 taken from trees of four years old and also from old trees for 

 comparison. The difference was very striking. That from the 

 young trees showed very little resemblance to true rubber an 

 possessed no elasticity and very little tenacity. It contained 64 

 of resin and only 33. Caoutchouc. 



