io6 



allowed under any circumstances. Green soiling should be done only 

 with herbaceous plants, and these should be merely cut and thrown 

 on the ground not dug in. The manuring experiments made in the 

 Botanic Gardens of Singapore some years ago are not even 

 alluded to. 



Draining. — The importance of this is well described. It is worth 

 noting however, that trees should not be planted too near the 

 drains especially if not very deep, it has been observed in the 

 Singapore Botanic Gardens that in wet stormy weather big trees 

 too close to the drains are very apt to fall, owing to their roots 

 being too short on the drain-side and not getting a sufficient hold. 



Tapping Instruments. — There is a fairly complete account of 

 the various tapping instruments suggested or used; and figures of 

 a number of them being published. Every one has his own fancy 

 as to what tools to use, but we venture to predict that specimens 

 of most of these will only be visible in museums in a few years. 

 After trying a large series in the Botanic Gardens, Singapore, we 

 have come back to the old chisel and mallet originally used as the 

 best and simplest. 



The spiral system is at present under experiment and we shall 

 hope to have something to say about it later. 



Methods of preparation, coagulation and machinery for such 

 purposes are described; the main objects being to eradicate the 

 proteids and sugar, which otherwise rots the rubber. In this 

 connection it may be interesting to note that there are samples 

 of Para rubber taken from the Botanic Gardens trees in the Gar- 

 dens Museum which were taken about ten years ago, simply 

 allowed to coagulate in the tins and put to dry, withouc any 

 attempt to clean them or get rid of the proteids except by their 

 own decomposition. The rubber is black like that of Forest Para, 

 but is sound and strong, fully tensile and very elastic to the pre- 

 sent day. 



The chapter on diseases of the plant is short and might have 

 been much enlarged with advantage. 



The most important of all pests Fomes semistostus is barely 

 alluded to though a good deal has been published about it. 



The whitewash fungus Corticium calceum, another important dis- 

 ease is not alluded to. This fungus was described some time back 

 in the Bulletin though not identified till after the book was 

 written. 



The work ends with a chapter on what to do with the seeds, with 

 methods of transport of them, in which the expensive and as we have 

 found, unsatisfactory method of shipping in Wardian cases is recom- 

 mended for long distances. The method adopted in Singapore 

 of packing in slightly damped charcoal has given far the best 

 results up to date. Coconut dust and saw dust as recommended 

 by Mr. MACMILLAN I would unhesitatingly condemn. 



