332 



EXPERIMENTS IN THE TREATMENT OF 

 PREPARATION & PACKING SMOKED 

 RUBBER FOR TRANSPORT & THE 

 MARKET. 



The following correspondence and analyses refer to a series of 

 experiments conducted at the Botanic Gardens Singapore, for the 

 purpose of determining how smoked rubber would travel best, such 

 correspondence must therefore be read in the light of purely experi- 

 mental work and it will be noted that in all instances the criticisms 

 suggest and refer to methods of treatment, as the inherent quality of 

 the rubber as revealed by the analyses supplied is generally satis- 

 factory, and in sonie instances very little improvement could be 

 expected; indeed, it is doubtful if some of the samples have ever 

 been surpassed. 



The latex was coagulated by the smoke process in long ribbons 

 and some samples were despatched a few days after coagulation to 

 London, after being wound in balls and the rubber considerably 

 stretched. Other samples were kept longer and were naturally much 

 drier but also wound in balls and stretched in winding, and, as will 

 be seen, such stretching had a deteriorating effect on the rubber. 



The biscuit and sheet referred to in the following correspondence 

 was merely a small lot of ordinary rubber for sale. 



London, I2th January, igil. 



H. N. Ridley, Esq., 



Botanic Gardens, Singapore. 



Dear Sir, 



In further reply to j^our three favours dated 27th October, i/th 

 November and 1st December, respectively, we have held back our 

 detailed report on the various samples enumerated by you until now, 

 as those referred to in your letter of the 17th November have only 

 just come to hand. 



We have carefully selected average samples of each kind and 

 requested Professor Wyndham Dunstan to have analyses carried out, 

 and the results of these will be forwarded to you in due course. 



We have now examined the various samples and have pleasure 

 in reporting as follows : — 



Rubber Described by you as Smoked Brazilian Method. Very 

 dark thin irregular shaped sheets. These appear to be composed of 

 thin films of rubber pressed together. They have arrived in excellent 

 condition, in that they are quite free from mould, etc. They have the 

 appearance of very thorough smoking, and the surfaces on arrival 

 had a peculiar greasiness similar to, but more pronounced than that 



