604 



tanning crocodile skins. I am afraid that there is rather a wide 

 breach between these two things and I would not have thought of 

 addressing you on the subject, but that some one told me that you 

 would be the man to ask. 



Can you please, give me any advice as to the treatment of the 

 skin so as to make it soft and pliant and suitable for use in 

 making bags etc. 



I should be so very obliged if you could help me. 



Yours faithfully, 



S.-H. LANGSTOX. 



I regret I have had personally no experience in the preparation 

 of crocodile skins for bags, nor could I get any information on the 

 subject from the Singapore Museum. I have, however, noted from 

 various works in the Library that in curing alligator's skins, only 

 the belly and flanks are used, and these steeped in lime and after- 

 wards tanned. Montague Brown in his Taxidermy gives the 

 following recipes for preserving skins generally: — 

 PRESERVATIVE SOAP: 



Whiting or chalk ... ...i^lbs. 



White Windsor or common Curd soap 4 lb. 



Chloride of lime ... ... ^ oz. 



Tincture of musk ... . .. | oz. 



and as a PRESERVATIVE POWDER — 



Burnt alum ... ... ...4 parts. 



Saltpetre ... ... ... 1 part. 



to be rubbed into the skin. I think this latter will be the most 

 suitable preparation. 



Perhaps some other reader will give his experiences in this 

 matter. — Ed? for. 



PARA RUBBER STUMPS. 



Klang, 3rd December , 1902. 



The Editor, 



Agricutural Bulletin. 



Dear Sir, — Referring to your article on Para Rubber Stumps in 

 the last number (13) of the Agricultural Bulletin, page 552, vou 

 might perhaps like to hear of my experience in that connection 

 which fully confirms what you say. 



I have transplanted Rubber trees, three and more years old, all 

 of more than 2 inch, diameter, stumped about 6 feet from ground. 

 A slanting clean cut seems the best. Closing the same with clay 

 or cow dung was my habit. It took almost four weeks before any 

 shoots were to be noticed, but after that time, generally up to five 

 appeared at once. One of these has always proved by far the 

 strongest and grew in some cases at the rate of almost one inch 

 per day. The most rapid growth is from 8 to 10 days after the 

 shoot had fully developed. After three months these old stumps 



