Gums, Resina, 



300 



[April, 1910. 



tion, especially of the first grade, and 

 also that the trees are very scattered 

 further back from the rivers, I fail 

 to see where the new territory exists 

 that remains to be opened up. Unless 

 the price of rubber continues at about 

 the present high figure, the Brazilian 

 output cannot increase greatly until 

 the industry is properly handled. 



Need for Organized Exploitation. 



Business ability allied with sufficient 

 working capital are the primary needs 

 for the successful exploitation of the 

 rubber resources of Brazil. Given these 

 conditions, a good profit with return 

 of capital might be secured long before 

 the majority of the Eastern plantations 

 reach the producing stage. Moreover, 

 large areas bordering on the navigable 

 rivers contain tens of thousands of 

 young plants waiting to be transplanted 

 into open spaces, and these would ensure 

 a future supply at little cost, as it 

 would mean the opening up of the 

 narrow zig-zag estradas or roads, so that 

 each labourer could gather double the 

 amount he does at present. By grow- 

 ing most of the food required and by 

 keeping live stock, which do well in that 



part of the country, the cost of main- 

 taining a labourer would not amount 

 to more than £20 or £30 a year, and 

 he would be placed in a far better posi- 

 tion than at present. Comparing the 

 area of land which a company could 

 secure with the small estates of the 

 East, which are capitalized at many 

 pounds an acre, a property in Brazil 

 would, I think, require a very much 

 smaller sum. I consider, as a result of 

 practical experience, that much of the 

 Amazon land is as fertile as land in 

 Australia now worth from £6 to £9 

 an acre. 



With regard to the export duty, I 

 admit it is very high. On the other 

 hand, I agree with Mr. Cheetham that 

 it requires little labour or ability to 

 gather rubber, and with the price over 

 5s. a lb. the duty should not kill the 

 industry. If the property is properly 

 worked, any man can gather half a ton 

 of rubber a year, and his maintenance 

 would not average more than sixpence 

 a lb. on that output. With the excep- 

 tion of the duty there are no other 

 charges, such as ground-rent, so that 

 there are no formidable obstacles of 

 that kind. 



OILS AND FATS. 



CEYLON CITRONELLA OIL. 



(From the Chemist and Druggist, Vol. 

 LXXVI., No. 1570, February 10.) 



The exports of citronella oil from 

 Ceylon during 1909 showed an increase 

 of 236,119 lb., being 1,512,084 lb., against 

 1,276,965 lb. in 1908. The leading 

 destinations were : United Kingdom, 

 780,019 lb, ; the United States, 446,874 lb. ; 

 Germany 172,302.1b.; Australia, 45,411 lb. ; 

 and France, 42,201 lb. The increase last 

 year is probably a record, and is attri- 

 buted to new producing districts opened 

 up in the South of Ceylon. It should be 

 pointed out in connection with the above 

 statistics that, although this country 

 still figures as the principal consumer of 

 citronella oil, important quantities 

 credited to England are destined for 

 shipment to Germany and the U. S. A. 

 via London. The largely increased 

 exports would seem to suggest that, 

 although adulteration is rampant, the 

 oil does not lose any of its popularity. 

 As the adulteration question has become 

 so acute, it is now stated that both con- 



sumers and importers are seriously con- 

 sidering the advisability of altering the 

 terms of sale, and selling only pure 

 citronella oil guaranteed to contain a 

 definite amount of geraniol and citro- 

 nellal. It is well known that the 

 Ceylon oil in drums is always adul- 

 terated down to pass Schimmel's test, 

 but it is stated that during the 

 past month or so some Ceylon ship- 

 ments have proved of a very in- 

 ferior character, and have failed to 

 pass Schimmel's test, the consequence 

 being that buyers have refused to accept 

 delivery of such tenders, and in other 

 instances heavy allowances have been 

 made. These allowances have, of course, 

 called a protest from Ceylon shippers, 

 while on this side a movement is on foot 

 with a view to place the citronella-oil 

 business on an entirely new basis as 

 regards quality, i.e., in future pure oil 

 will only be accepted against rival 

 contracts. Whether the movement will 

 be successful, it is difficult to say, 

 inasmuch as the shipper is entirely in 

 the hands of the native distiller or 

 dealer. 



