375 



culinary purposes on fast days when ordinary food is not taken. It is 

 also given as a tonic to weak person when boiled in milk ". 



The Zedoary Curcuma Zedoaria is known here as Tema La- 

 wang and is one of those half-wild scitamineae which occur in 

 villages and waste ground. It has broad bright green leaves with 

 a purple brown splash in the centre, and when it flowers produces 

 a large and beautiful cone of bracts green in the lower part and 

 violet purple above. The rhizomes, are used here chiefly in curries 

 and native medicines, having an aromatic scent and taste. It can be 

 cultivated like ginger by breaking up the rhizomes, and grows 

 readily almost anywhere. 



H. N. R. 



ANALYSES OF VARIOUS RUBBERS. 



In the Annual Report of the Indian Museum 1905-1906, are 

 some analyses of various rubbers by Mr. D. HOOPER among them 

 is a rubber from Mannvo, Burmah (kind not stated possibly Para.) 

 which gave Caoutchouc 96*7, resin 2*3, ash ri. Ceara Rubber from 

 Poona gave Caoutchouc 94*6, resin 21, ash 3*3. Parameria glan- 

 dulifeva, from the Andamans, Caoutchouc 92-5, resin 6*4, ash I'O. 

 This latter apocynaceous climber is not usually considered one of 

 the first class rubber vines, but it is perhaps one of the best of the 

 Paramerias and this analysis gives it as a better class of rubber than 

 that of Ficus elastica. 



Analyses of the rubbers' of 7 Indian Ficus are given, beginning 

 with a rather poor F. elastica, Caoutchouc 87*5, resin 107, ash 

 1 "8. The others vary in analysis from 30*8 Caoutchouc and 58*9 

 resin {Ficus Benjamina, the waringin) to 12-5 Caoutchouc and 84*8 

 {Ficus religiosa, the Peepul tree) 12*5 Caoutchouc and 847 resin. 



Some Artocarpi gums were also examined. They were very 

 poor in Caoutchouc, A. kirsuta, gave the highest amount, Caout- 

 chouc 28 0, resin 71*0. 



Jack (A. integrifolid) gave only 77 with 90*3 resin. It is hardly 

 likely that any of these latices will come into use as rubber pro- 

 ducers. A number of laticiferous plants of other orders, Euphorbias 

 Calotropis, Thevetia. Pedilanthus, were investigated also and sub- 

 stances more or less allied to Caoutchouc obtained, but of practically 

 no commercial value. 



H. N. R. 



RUBBER NOTES. 



Ecuador — From the Consular report of Ecuador for 1905, we 

 read that the Government passed a law that a premium of ten cents 

 is to be paid by Government on all plantations of rubber trees as 

 soon as they reach the age of five years. The premium alone would 

 be a very small inducement to plant, but the high prices of rubber 

 induce the making of extensive plantations. 



