104 



the collectors. It would be indiepensable on regular plantations of 

 rubber- trees. By such means the process of preparing the rubber could 

 be kept under scientific control and all injurious substances such as the 

 proteids and all dirt and chips excluded. The value of rubber so 

 prepared has been shown to be increased fully 25 per cent. 



The rubber-trees of Brazil were then exhaustively described, together 

 with the distribution of the various species yielding the Para rubber of 

 commerce. The exports from Para in 1897 including rubber received 

 from Bolivia, Peru and Venezuela amounted to 22,650 tons. Of this 

 amount 51 per cent, was shipped to the United States and 38 per cent, 

 to the United Kingdom leaving only about 11 per cent , or 2,500 tons, 

 for all other countries. 



The price of Para rubber which regulates the price of all other sorts 

 has been steadily increasing since 1894 when it was 2s. lid. per pound ; 

 in 1895 it rose to 3s. 2d. ; in 1896 to 3s. 4d. ; in 1897 to 38. 6Jd. 

 while the average price for the first throe months of 1898, was 3s. 9^d. 

 At the last sales on the 15th inst.. it was 3s lid. per pound. 



It was however, pointed out that these prices were below what they 

 were in 1882 and 1883, when fine Para fetched 4s. 4d. per pound. 



Concluding Lecture delivered April 25th, 1898. 



There is a concensus of opinion that in nearly all localities in Central 

 America the trees oiCastillo / elastica are being gradually exterminated. 

 Hence the supply of rubber from Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and 

 the U. S. of Colombia is steadily diminishing. The interesting tree 

 yielding Ceara rubber {Manihot Glaziovii) readily propagates itself and 

 its area has not apparently sensibly diminished of lateyears. The peo- 

 ple are, however, being attracted more and more into the rubber districts 

 of the Amazon valley and the amount of Ceara rubber exported is com- 

 paratively small. 



Mangabeira rubber on the other hand seems to be increasing. The 

 tree Havcornia speciosa is found in the States of Pernambuco, Bahia, 

 Rio de Janeiro, and extends westward to Matto-Grrosso. The rubber is 

 eured by means of alum, it is of a pinkish colour and the price is gene- 

 rally only one half of that of fine Para. Passing on to the rubber-pro- 

 ducing areas of the OLi World it was stated that the rapid development 

 of African rubber was one of the most remarkable incidents of recent 

 years. As regards the world's commerce Africa now occupied an im- 

 portant place as a source of India-rubber. The value of the imports of 

 African rubber into the United Kingdom during 1896 amounted to over 

 a million sterling. Of this Foreign Possessions supplied rubber to the 

 value of £206,972 and British Possessions ^2844,840. Up to within a 

 recent period all the rubber produced in Africa was obtained from 

 climbing plants belonging to the genus Landolphia, with sweet-scented 

 flowers and edible piJ-py fruits. In 1894 a new rubber tree Kicksia 

 waa found at Lagos from which in 1895 rubber to the value of nearly 

 £300,000 was exported. 



More recently still another now rubber plant (Carpodinus) has been 



