4?2 



was coagulated by adding water while the latex was still in the fluid 

 state, and then boiling the mixture for about hours in an 

 earthenware pot. This rubber has since been valued in Mincing 

 Lane at 2s. 6d. per lb., and described as " good, clean, fairly elastic, 

 and dry. " It is, of course, open to question as to whether the 

 value would have been higher if some other moans of coagulation 

 had been adopted, but it would be interesting to know whether this 

 sterilizing of the latex is likely to deteriorate it in any way, as 

 otherwise it seems to be an effective, and handy method of coagu- 

 lating. Some information on this point would be very useful. 



I trust I am not unduly intruding upon your valuable space in 

 asking you to insert this letter, as I think a great deal of good could 

 be accomplished if the manufacturer and planter had some means 

 of communicating with each other and discuss this important sub- 

 ject. — I remain, Dear Sir, yours faithfully. 



Francis Pears, 



Lanadron Estate, Afnar, via Singapore, 

 April 19th, 1 go 2. 



In our last issue the reader will have observed a letter from Mr. 

 FRANCIS PEARS bearing upon the subject of "Rubber Planting in 

 the Malay Straits. " 



It is quite refreshing to read that the rubber planters themselves 

 are waking up to the importance, or rather to the unique opportu- 

 nity, offered by a rubber plantation of producing a crude rubber 

 which, not rather more than ordinary accuracy requires, comes up 

 to its description. Indeed, the rubber planter will miss a great 

 opportunity if, at the very outset, he does not take steps to put his 

 production upon the market in such a condition as to render all 

 washing operations in the factory entirely superfluous. He has it 

 in his own hands to produce a "crude rubber" which, as a matter 

 of fact, for manufacturing purposes is a rubber 99 per cent. pure. 



At the present moment fine Para loses from 12 to 18 per cent, 

 in weight in the washing process, and by shipping his rubber in the 

 above-named condition the planter would save, to begin with, from 

 12 to 18 per cent, in freight, and the manufacturer could well afford 

 to pay for such rubber, at the present price of fine Para, from 4*5^. 

 to 6'$d. more per pound, and save the cost of washing and drying 

 into the bargain. But, as a matter of fact, the increased value of 

 rubber shipped in the pure state would be rather more than these 

 figures, for the simple reason that a dirty rubber, when washed, is 

 by no means worth as much as the same rubber would be had it 

 been prepared at the plantation free from all earthy or vegetable, 

 as also free from all discolouring, fermentable, and deleterious 

 matters. 



Of course the most obvious and the most easily attainable result 

 for the rubber planter to aim at is to ship his rubber free from 

 earthy matter, leaves, bark, wood and the like, and moisture. But 

 an enormous improvement in "crude rubber" can also be effected 

 bv keeping it free from albuminous matter. It is not too much to 



