220 
20.  You  were  also  furnished  by  the  Secretary  of  State  for  the 
Report  on  sam-  Colouies  with  a report  on  samples  of  Para  rubber 
pies  of  Para  rub-  prepared  by  me  and  valued  by  Messrs,  HbXHT, 
Levis  and  Kahn,  at  the  re(|uest  of  Sir  W.  T.  Th ISLE- 
TON  Dyer,  Director,  Royal  Botanic  Gardens,  Kew.  This  report 
should  be  very  encouraging  to  planters  of  the  Para  rubber  tree,  the 
best  samples  Ijeing  valued  at  4^'.  per  tb.  against  3^'.  Zd.  for 
“ fine  Para,  ” and  should  settle  the  question  once  and  for  all  as  to 
whether  the  product  of  the  cultivated  tree  can  compete  with  the 
Para  rubber  of  commerce  of  the  present  day. 
21.  Other  experiments  on  the  extraction  of  the  latex  are  being 
Other  experi-  continued  and  when  sufficient  data  are  to  hand  a 
’I'lents.  further  report  on  the  subject  will  be  made. 
STANLEY  ARDEN, 
Superintendent ^ Experimental  Plantations. 
Pat  It  Tiga,  jist  March,  igoj. 
SANSEVIERA  CULTIVATION  IN  SELANGOR. 
The  following  correspondence  from  the  Director  of  the  Imperial 
Institute  will  be  read  with  interest.-  'I  he  Sansevieras  of  which 
there  are  several  kinds  are  well  known  ornamental  plants  of  the 
order  lAliacea:.  They  possess  an  under  ground  creeping  stem 
from  which  they  send  up  stiff  smooth  leaves  often  ornamentally 
barred  grey  and  green.  The  one  referred  to  here  has  narrow  lan- 
ceolate acute  leaves  2 feet  or  more  long  and  about  inch  across, 
transversely  barred  with  deep  green  and  grey,  and  it  is  from  these 
leaves  that  the  fibre  is  prepared.  The  flower  spike  is  tall  and  bears 
numerous  white  flowers  resembling  those  of  a Dracoena^  and  even- 
tually orange  juicy  fruits. 
The  plant  grows  best  here  in  rather  rocky  soil  and  is  cultivated 
in  India  and  also  in  Florida,  and  is  often  known  as  Bowstring 
Hemp.  It  is  very  commonly  cultivated  here  as  an  ornamental 
plant. 
It  is  propagated  by  root  cuttings  and  also  in  Florida  by  leaf 
cuttings.  Sections  of  leaves  4 inches  long  are  made  and  inserted 
into  boxes  of  earth  to  a depth  of  about  2 inches.  The  soil  must  be 
moderately  dry  or  the  plants  will  rot.  The  box  is  placed  in  a 
moderately  shady  place  and  in  a few  weeks  time  put  out  roots,  and 
eventually  suckers.  It  requires  good  rich  soil  and  takes  about  two 
years  to  acquire  its  full  growth. 
Dr.  Harris  of  Florida  states  that  Sanseviera  will  after  it  is  well 
established  afford  a crop  of  5 tons  of  clean  fibre  per  acre  valued  at 
100  dollars  (American)  a ton.  and  selecting  a few  square  feet 
where  the  growth  was  thickest  in  liis  estate,  cut  and  cleaned  the 
leaves  and  found  it  gave  at  the  rate  of  13.^  tons  per  acre.  How- 
ever as  Prof.  Dodge  (Report  on  the  Leaf  fibres  of  the  I’nited  States, 
L'.  S.  Department  of  Agricultui  (‘  if>93)  points  out  this  estimate  is 
