February, 1912.] 



99 



Oils and Fats. 



duction, and quality of products . » . . 

 Predominance in rubber production will 

 belong to Amazonia in the same way as 

 that of coffee does to Sao Paulo." 



FORWARD CONTRACTS FOR 

 PLANTATION RUBBER. 



(From the IniHa Rubber Journal, Vol. 

 XLII., No. 22, November 25th, 1911.) 

 During the present month there have 

 been many indications of a spirited 

 demand for future rubber supplies. The 

 present price is quite good enough for 

 Para and other grades, and will serve 

 to maintain supplies from wild sources 

 as in past years. The crops from the 

 East, though considerable, are being 

 readily absorbed at the regular auctions, 

 and large amouuts are being disposed of 

 privately. The old Brazilian stocks, 

 carried over during the slump, are no 

 longer feared by buyers, and have been 

 almost obliterated, or lost their " bear" 

 influence. 



4s. Id. per lb. for 1912. 



Mincing Lane has dealt with fair 

 quantities of first quality latex for 1912, 

 the contracts allowing the sellers to 

 deliver the article either as smoked 

 sheet, unsmoked sheet, or crepe. The 

 prices obtained have varied from 4s. 6ct. 

 to 4s. Id. per lb., a figure which will 

 inspire confidence among plantation 

 circles who were inclined to look for- 

 ward with some misgivings to the 

 anticipated large increase in plantation 

 crops for next year. 



4s. per lb. for 1913. 



The forward contracts entered into 

 for the present year and 1912 for plant- 

 ation rubber will materially aid in the 

 preservation of comparatively high 



prices for first grades during these 

 periods. Already enquiries are being 

 made for plantation rubber over 1913, a 

 year when still larger supplies are 

 expected from the East. We are inform- 

 ed that buyers have offered 4s. per lb. 

 for delivery over 1913 for first latex, and 

 have met with few sellers. 



The demand for more rubber and 

 especially pure plantation grades is 

 growing rapidly, and is likely to receive 

 a further impetus if the results of 

 research recently carried out by a large 

 manufacturing firm are published. These 

 results clearly show that plantation 

 rubber, if properly worked by the 

 manufacturer, will be in much greater 

 demand than heretofore in one of the 

 largest consuming sections of the trade. 



"Plantation" coming to the Front. 



Wild rubbers, despite the entei prise 

 of many firms in the purification and 

 exploitation of inferior grades, are not 

 likely to show any material increase in 

 quantity for some years to come. Yields 

 from Castilloa trees in Mexico and 

 Central America, from Ficus in the 

 Dutch East Indies and from Mauihot in 

 Africa, are not turning out as satisfac- 

 torily as those interested in these under- 

 takings would wish ; on the other hand 

 high yields are still being obtained, from 

 old Hevea trees in the East, and many 

 thousands of young trees will be added 

 to the tapping round month by month 

 for many years to come, Hevea, under 

 cultivation is therefore slowly but surely 

 soaring towards the first position in the 

 trade. 



Since the above was written a con- 

 siderable number of forward contracts 

 for plantation rubber have been entered 

 into at 5s. a pound for 1912. 



OILS AND FATS. 



THE SOY BEAN IN INDIA: 

 GLYCINE HISPIDA. 



By David Hooper. 



(From the Agricultural Ledger, 

 1911, No. 3.) 



(Continued from page 15.) 

 Fourceen samples of the seeds grown 

 from Japanese seeds at the Manjri Ex- 

 perimental Farm were again analysed 

 last year by a leading European firm. 

 The percentage of moisture varied from 



9 - 90 to 12-06, and the percentage of oil 

 from 1680 to 22'48. Here there is no evid- 

 ence of deterioration. In the opinion 

 of a crusher to whom the samples were 

 sent, eleven of the fourteen samples 

 were declared to be good and six showing 

 above 20 per cent, of oil, very good in- 

 deed and better in this respect than the 

 best Sakura Manchurian beans which 

 contain on an average 19"5 per cent; 

 of oil. 



The following analyses of Indian-grown 

 Soy beans were made in the laboratory 

 of the Indian Museum in 1909 and 1910 



