278 



seeds weigh 11 lb., whereas from tapped trees they will only weigh 

 about 8 lb., when fresh. 



Carruthers (Agric. Bull. Straits, November 1907) again bases his 

 estimate on the weight of the fresh seeds from untapped trees, taking 

 the weight of 1,000 seeds as 9"1 lb. He states that the kernel is 60 

 per cent of the total weight of the seed, and, therefore, 414,400 seeds 

 will yield a ton of kernels. 



But the figures of the present experiments show that the weight of 

 1000 seeds from tapped trees is 7*8 lb., and that these maybe expected 

 to lose at least 20 per cent- in drying. The kernel is 57'8 per cent of 

 the total weight of the dry seed in Ceylon, but there is a further loss 

 during transit to England, for the Director of the Imperial Institute 

 states, the kernels constitute about 50 per cent by weight of the whole 

 seeds, and yield 42'3 per cent of oil. The husk and kernel together 

 yield 20 per cent of oil." It is evident from these figures that " about " 

 must mean " less than." 



Taking the weight of 1000 seeds as 8 lb., the loss of weight on 

 drying as 20 per cent, and the kernel as 50 per cent of the whole 

 seed, then — 



1 ton-- 280,000 fresh seeds. 

 = 350 000 dried seeds. 

 = 700,000 kernels. 

 This estimate is rather too favourable on eacli point, but accept- 

 ing it, and assuming that the kernels sell for £10 per ton, then the 

 gross return per 1,000 seeds is 21'5 rupee-cents. Out of this must be 

 met the cost of collecting, decorticating, and freight. 



Times of Ceylon, 



June 1st 1908. 



RUBBER IN JAVA. 



Growth Good Quality; Good Labour Cheap. 



Java compared with Ceylon and the Straits interview with 

 Mr. C. E. Welldon as follows : 



The P. & O. s.s. "India" had amongst her passengers this evening 

 Mr. and Mrs. C. E. Welldon and family, who are going home for a 

 short holiday. Mr. Welldon came to the Island in 1873, and is there- 

 fore a planter of 35 years experience. He has 'gradually mounted the 

 planting ladder until he became Acting General Manager of the C. P. 

 P. Co. When he comes back to the Island at the end of the year or at 

 the beginning of 1909 he will go back to his old post of East Holyrood. 

 A Times of Ceylon representative had a brief chat with Mr. Welldon 

 this afternoon just before he went on board. 



Asked at the outset as to what he thought of rubber in Java 

 during his recent visit to that Island Mr. Welldon replied: — "I should 

 say four years old rubber in Java and the Straits is equal to five and 

 5i years old in Ceylon. Of course that applies to estates in the 

 Straits which have good soil ; given inferior soil in the Straits, and 

 then Java leaps ahead," 



