105 



«diicoTered in Africa. This is of a semi-herbaceous character with 

 underground stems which are rasped in water and yield rubber of 

 exceUent quality. 



The rubbers of Assam, Burma,Penang, and Singapore were then 

 dealt with. Borneo rubber although known since 1798 has only oome 

 into commerce within the last fifty years. It is yielded by climbing 

 plants, closely related to the Landolphias of Tropical Africa and is gene- 

 rally of excellent quality. 



New Guinea rubber is in part yielded by a species of Ficus. The natiye* 

 are said to allow the sap to run orcr their arms and body, and when 

 hardened, they remove it and roll it up into balls the size of cricket balls. 

 The prospects of obtaining some of the future supplies of rubber from 

 cultiyated trees were favourably regarded. In selecting sites for plan- 

 tations, preference should be given to localities in which the trees were 

 already found. Para rubber trees introduced to the East at the expense 

 of the Grovernment of India had done remarkably well in Ceylon, 

 Tenasserim, and the Straits Settlements. In Ceylon such trees were 

 estimated to yield 120 lbs of rubber per acre after the tenth year. This 

 would give a probable return of 20 per cent, on the capital invested. In 

 the Straits Settlements the trees were found to yield at an earlier age 

 and the estimated returns per acre were placed as high as 30 per cent. 

 It was stated that where rubber trees were cultivated under suitable 

 conditions they would probably yield a larger quantity of milk than 

 wild trees ; aho that the rubber from the greater care and attention it 

 would receive would be more uniform in quality and therefore obtain a 

 higher price. 



INSECTS IN CIGARS. 



Eeport by Arthur Gl. Butler, Assistant Keeper, in charge of the 

 Entomological Department, British Museum of Natural History. 



With reference to the letter from Mr. Secretary Chamberlain touch- 

 ing the injury done to cigars in Jamaica by a small boring insect,* it 

 appears that : — 



1. The insect is a small beetle allied to the Death-watch Beetle/' 

 although it has incorrectly been called the "cheroot weevil its name 

 is Lasioderma testaceum, Duft., and it is known in this country as des- 

 tructive to ginger, to boot linings, &c. (We found the larva by break- 

 ing up one or two of the cigars.) 



2. The injury which this insect does to cigars is not confined to Ja- 

 maica, but interferes seriously with the exportation of Indian cheroots, 



3. Attempts to destroy these insects by subjecting the cheroots to a 



* Sent to England by the Director for a report by an expert. 



