33 



Propagation. — The seeds have a hard thick coat, and take a year in 

 germinating unless they are filed along the sides at the end which bears 

 the caruncle. Cuttings with one bud strike easily. 



Experiments in Jamaica Botanic Gurdens. — Two trees at Hope Gar- 

 dens were bled. The outer dead brown bark strips off quite easily like 

 birch bark ; this was pulled off tree No. 1 from the ground to a height of 

 6 feet, and slits made with a knife-point into the green bark. The first 

 day only two narrow strips were taken off tree No. 2, but afterwards 

 the whole of the brown bark was removed. 



Tree No. 1, yielded 1£ oz. on first day, 1 oz. on second day, and 

 about f oz. on fourth day, that is 3 J oz. in 3 days' tapping. Five weeks 

 later it was tapped on one day, yielding J oz. 



The other tree No. 2, gave only a little over one ounce in 3 days, and 

 J oz. five weeks later. 



This rubber was sent to the Silvertown Rubber Works, and the 

 following Report was very kindly furnished on the samples. It appears 

 not only that different trees yield varying amounts, but also that the 

 quality varies : — 



The India Rubber, Gutta Percha, and Telegraph Works Co., Ltd., to 

 Director of Public Gardens, Jamaica. 



19th February, 1894. 



" We duly received your letter of the 8th ulto. referring to 2 samples 

 of rubber, marked respectively No. 1 and No. 2. 



"We have examined these samples but they are not large enough for 

 us to apply a practical test which would more correctly give the relative 

 values of them. 



" From our examination, as far as we are able to judge, the No. 1 

 sample appears to be considerably superior in quality to the No. 2. 



" We should think that the value of No. i would be about 2s. 3d. 

 per lb., whereas No. 2 appears to be worth about Is. 8Jd. per lb. 



" The price of rubber as you no doubt are aware fluctuates considerably, 

 but as a rule the fluctuation of the various qualities has a fairly constant 

 relationship to price of fine Para which we take as the standard. 



" This at present is selling at about 2s. lOd. per lb. 



" Please understand that the above mentioned figures can only be 

 approximate, but could you send us a 21b. sample of each we shall be 

 pleased to give you any further information we have on the subject. 



" We shall always be happy to give you the benefit of any informa- 

 tion on the subject. 



' ' We may say that the great difficulty in the way of a more extended 

 use of Ceara Rubber lies in the fact that sufficient care is not taken in 

 the collecting with a result that it is next to impossible for anyone to 

 appreciate the value of this quality of rubber it being so full of impurities. 



" Could this difficulty be got over and were it possible to collect and 

 coagulate the rubber in the same way as fine Para we think it is quite 

 possible that the value of the rubber so collected would be very near the 

 price we are now paying for fine Para." 



Experiments in Ceylon. — This rubber plant appears to have failed in 

 the northern part of India. In the Madras Presidency and in Ceylon, 

 the trees have grown readily enough, even up to 3,000 feet in Ceylon. 



