62 



NEW LITERATURE IN RUBBER. 



A New Rubber-Tester. 



Mr. Clayton Beadle sends a pamphlet reprinted from the 

 ournal of the Society of Chemical Industry, giving an account and 

 diagrams of a new machine for the mechanical testing of India-rubber 

 designed by himself and Mr. H. J. Sterear. 



The authors point out that some four or five years ago, in 

 attempting to test the tensile strength of India-rubber goods, no 

 machine was found to be suitable. The difficulty lay in the irregula- 

 rity of shape and often of the smallness of the size of the rubber 

 samples, so that it was difficult to cut stripes of uniform size and 

 thickness, and also that in samples containing a small proportion of 

 mineral matter they are liable to be crushed in the jaws and to tear 

 just inside one or other of the grips. Eventually it was found that 

 this tearing could be overcome by cutting test pieces in the form of 

 rings and stretching them between smooth hooks. 



The machine, of which a diagram is given, is made by Messrs. 

 Baird and Tatlock, and seems to be a suitable one and not very 

 expensive. Appliances for cutting samples into rings for testing are 

 also described. 



The India Rubber Quarter Century Number. 



This is a finely illustrated series of articles by well-known 

 authorities on India-rubber and its industry. Mr. Terry begins 

 after an introduction by the Editor, with a retrospect of the industry 

 for 25 years, showing how immense are the changes which have taken 

 place, and especially in the botanical, chemical and physical aspects 

 of the industry. The manufacture is dealt with by Messrs. Torrey, 

 Stevens, Frost, Schidrowitz, Spence, A. Foster, and Elvery. The 

 cultivation in the Fast is described by Messrs. Rutherford, Ridley, 

 Parkin, John Turner, Bryce, Pears, Galledge, Malcolm Cumming, 

 Arden, Eraser, Ferguson, in Brazil by A. Russan, Africa by Johnson, 

 German New Guinea by Preuss, Castilloa in Tobago by Captain 

 Short, West Indies Sir D. Morris, and Mr. Hart, the Guayule 

 industry by C. A. Fox, Dutch Indies by " Senex," and Southern India 

 by Mr. Windle. 



Professor Labray gives some account and good photographs of 

 the manicobas. M. Piauhyensis seems to be a curious stunted plant 

 which is tapped on the main roots. 



There are a good many unsigned articles also chiefly on the sub- 

 ject of the industry. The illustrations are excellent and interesting, 

 and there are portraits of almost everyone connected largely in the 

 trade and planting. 



The whole work is of interest to those who have any connection 

 with the rubber trade or cultivation. — Ed. 



