494 



At a recent meeting of the United Planters' Association of South 

 India, Mr. R. D. Anstead mentioned that a large number of Para 

 rubber trees planted in that countr^y are already beginning to bear 

 seed, and each year more will do so. It has been estimated that trees 

 after the fifth year will yield 500 seeds each, and the product of 400 

 trees will weigh a ton. It is stated that the seeds contain about 20 per 

 cent of an oil which has been valued at $100 (gold) per ton. Mr. 

 Anstead was of opinion that thr planters should gather the seed, 

 crush it for the oil, and use the residue for fertilizing the rubber 

 plantations (The India Rubber World, Vol. XLIIL, p. 16). 



"The comparisons of rubber seed with linseed and cotton-seed have 

 led to inquiries as to the possible commercial utilisation of rubber- 

 seeds in the future. At present there is such a demand for seeds for 

 planting that ther^^ is no surplus supply. The Botanic Gardens at 

 Singapore which is really the birth-place of the Malay 'rubber-indus- 

 try have already furnished great quantities of seed for the plantations, 

 but the authorities now refuse to undertake any more orders for seed 

 before next spring owing to the engagements already booked. But 

 the time will not be long in arriving when there will be a large surplus 

 of seeds from the ninety millions of trees already planted. Scientific 

 investigation of the rubber-seeds has proved that they yield a fine 

 clear oil of good drying quality. It has recently been suggested that, 

 having in view the future commercial value of the seeds, it would be 

 wise in erecting new machinery on plantations to make provision for 

 power and space for seed-crushing machines. By doing so the residue 

 from the crushers, which is valuable both as cattle-food and for 

 fertilising, would be left on the estates." 



(The Chemist and Druggist Vol. LXXVII p. 63). 



We understand that there is just now rising a strong demand 

 for oil of Para rubber seed in the United States of America. The 

 failure of the linseed crops, and the substitution of the cultivation 

 of the soy bean for the linseed by many planters has left the con- 

 sumer of this oil short, and this is probably the cause of the interest 

 now taken in Rubber seed oil. 



Reports and notes on this (jil have been already published in the 

 Bulletin, but in the days when the attention of planters was called to 

 this product all seeds were required for further planting, and since 

 then the production of the rubber has been naturally the sole objective 

 of the planter who has not bothered about the minor product. 



Now, seed is abundant, and it would doubtless be possible to 

 bring this product into the market and so to add to the profits of the 

 estates. In clean weeded estate it should not be difficult for women 

 and children to collect large quantities of seed at a cheap rate, they 

 being paid by results. The seed could be shipped to the oil-mills, 

 and there sold. 



