76 



illustrative photographs;. The system used by these people is well 



enough known and need not be repeated. He confirms however 

 again the statement that the Hevea braziliensis, grows on the flooded 

 banks of the Amazon. The driest months are July, August and 

 September. The rains commence in October lasting with short 

 breaks till February or March. The river commences to rise in 

 October and is highest in June, when in many places it is 10 to 20 

 in ( lit s above! its ordinary level and it is in these flooded woods that 

 Hevea brazilicnsis grows mixed with many other large trees includ- 

 ing Couro'ipita, Lccythis, Bombax, Cedrela, Hura crepitans and cho- 

 colate. 



Of the other kinds of Hevea he mentions H . Spruccana, and a 

 kind called ftauba which give a se cond quality of latex. H . nigra^ 

 H. paludosa, H . orclha da onca, H . microphylla. Sarapo and H % 

 pauciflora are hardly valued at all by the rubber collectors, or the 

 latex is only used to mix with and adulterate that of H. braziliensis. 

 The latex also of Sapium Taburu, is used to mix with Para rubber. 



Micrandra siphonoides is another rubber plant from this district. 

 A picture of its leaves, flowers, and fruits is given, and it is stated 

 that the rubber from it resembles in structure, colour, and elasticity 

 the Rambong rubber of Java and Sumatra and is valued at 7*50 

 marks per kilogramme, with Para rubber at 9*00 marks It grows 

 with other rubber trees on the l\io Negro, and might perhaps be 

 worth some attention, but it has not so far as I know, been brought 

 into cultivation as yet. 



A map of the Amazons region showing the distribution of the 

 Para rubber along the main branches of the Amazons is given, which 

 seems to show that it is exclusively confined to the river banks. 



RUBBER SEEDS FOR OIL AND OIL CAKE. 



Imperial Institute of the 

 United Kingdom, the Colonies and India, 

 Imperial Institute Road, London, S. W. 



20th January, 1905. 



Sir, — I have the honour to inform you that since the publication 

 in the " Bulletin of the Imperial Institute, (Vol. I., 1903, p. 156) of 

 the report on the utilisation of the seeds of the Para rubber tree, 

 forwarded to you through the Colonial Office on the 21st November, 

 1903, a considerable number of enquiries have been received here 

 relative to tin; possibility of obtaining commercial supplies of the 

 seed or oil. So far some difficulty has been experienced in obtain- 

 ing these supplies, but now I understand a quantity of Ceylon seed 

 is being placed on this market, though none has been s< nt from the 

 Straits Settlements. 



