12! 



If phosphoric acid be agreed upon as the term for common use, 

 then concentrated superphosphate will be represented as contain- 

 ing 45 or 46 per cent, of phosphoric acid, mostly water soluble, and 

 ordinary superphosphate will be represented as containing 1 6 V to 

 17^ per cent, or more, phosphoric acid, mostly water soluble. If 

 phosphate of lime be agreed upon as the term for common use, the 

 concentrated superphosphate must be stated as containing from 98 

 to IOO per cent, phosphate, mostly water soluble, and the ordinary 

 as containing 36 to 38 percent, phosphate, mostly water soluble. 



I feel sure that I can successfully appeal to all respectable, 

 manure manufacturers and merchants, who recognise that the 

 spread of precise knowledge as to the real nature of manures is in 

 the interests of all concerned, to adopt that system which has he en 

 agreed to by a consensus of opinion amongst the leading chemist 

 of the day. All buyers of superphosphate should insist upon being- 

 informed as to how much water soluble phosphoric acid the manure 

 is guaranteed to contain. " 



NOTE. 



We note the Kajang Coffee and Rubber Company (Limited) has 

 been registered in London with a capital of £23,000 in £1 shares. 

 The object is to acquire (1) the West County Estate in Selangor, 

 on which the business of growing and dealing in coffee, tea, rubber, 

 and fruit, and prospecting for minerals is now carried on by A A. 

 Allen, F. R. Hicks, Frances M. Morten, Florence C. H. Morten, 

 and E. B. Skinner, as Allen & Co. ; (2) the Belmont Estate, also in 

 Selangor, in which a similar business is carried on by the Hon. E. 

 Field, M^S. Parry, and C. W. Prosser, and (3) the Weld's Hill 

 Fstate in Selangor, on parts of which a similar business is carried 

 on, and other parts of which are being developed for building pur- 

 poses by the persons and to carry on the abovementioned business- 

 es. There will be no public initial issue. The first directors are 

 C. W. Prosser, A. A. Allen, E. Fielding, and F. R. Hicks. 



Gutta Percha in Ceylon. 



It is reported that Mr. Herbert Wright of the Ceylon Botanic 

 Gardens Staff is in charge of an expedition to the Hdly districts of 

 the S. W. of Ceylon for the purpose of investigating the trees there 

 which produce gutta percha. Dr. Trimen describes seven species of 

 Palaquim in the Flora of Ceylon but adds "Our species are ap- 

 parently ill defined, but I have had little opportunity of examining 

 them in a living state. All are endemic, and inhabit the wet forests 

 of the low moist region. They yield a milky juice (Gutta I'ercha) 

 but none is collected from Ceylon species" — Mr. Wright, however, 

 in writing to a friendi n Colombo. Says " Hinidoonkanda is just the 

 place I anticipated. The soil is very poor, there is plenty of water 

 and an altitude of 2,200 feet. Under such conditions you will not 

 be surprised to learn that I found over 70 trees of the particular 

 species required, and some of which attain considerable dimensions 

 lhere is plenty of gutta percha in these trees and I could go on 



