331 



eight hours before being moved to the drying shed, which is about 

 fifty yards distant. To the above description, which is given nearly 

 his own words, Mr. Garland adds : '* There are certain special points 

 about quality of material used for the factory, which are my own 

 ideas, not generally shared by planters." 



It is difficult to say wherein lies the secret of the high quality of 

 this rubber, for in essentials the process of preparation, as far as can 

 be made out from the description given, does not seem to differ mate- 

 rially from that generally adopted on other estates. 



It should be mentioned that nine samples were tested in this 

 series and that only Glenealy sheet and Mr. Derry's " spindle rub- 

 ber," previously noticed, were comparable with fine Para. Some of 

 the others, although excellent from a broker's point of view, proved 

 to be very inferior in quality. With variations in the vulcanization, 

 some samples showed improved results, while in the case of others, it 

 was clear that no alteration in the vulcanization would render them 

 anything but weak and short. Two of the samples were ** smoked 

 sheet from 20-year old trees," and '* smoked biscuit," both prepared 

 in the Botanic Gardens, Singapore. It is curious and instructive to 

 note that these two samples gave quite dissimilar results. 



Breaking Strain Elasticity and Recovery. 



Permanent 



Name of sample and 





Un- 



Ex- 



Pull after 



set after 



time of Vulcanization. 



Break, broken, tension. Pull. 



5 mins. 



5 mins. rest. 





lb. 



Ib. 



ins. 



lb. 



lb. 





Smoked sheet 50 mins. 





39 



9V2 



13 



105^2 



II 



55 „ 



47 





10 



15H 



13 



24 



45 , 





41 





13 





15 



Smoked Bisct. 50 mins. 





41 



10 





10^ 



14 



>> 55 » 



40 





9^ 





12M 



12 



60 „ 



75 





934 



19 



17 



8 



Although these experiments are necessarily incomplete, still it 

 may, I think, be inferred that the smoked sheet is incapable of giving 

 good results with any vulcanization period, while the smoked biscuit, 

 when the right period is found, gives very efood results. Interest 

 naturally centres round the cause, or causes, of the difference in 

 quality of these two samples. Presumably they were coagulated and 

 treated in much the same way, and outwardly the only difference in 

 them is one of form, due to the shape of the vessels in which they 

 were coagulated. This is an admirable example, showing clearly the 

 absolute necessity of instituting experimental work to discover the 

 factors which determine the quality of rubber. 



There are now, I believe, in British Malaya some 400,000 acres 

 planted with rubber, and over twenty-four million pounds invested in 

 the industry, so that there should be no difficulty in raising sufficient 

 funds to carry out these investigations. A levy of, say, one penny 

 per acre, would give ample money to equip a laboratory, and from 

 three farthings to one penny per annum should cover all working 

 expenses. 



L. Wray. 



