June 1908.] 



521 



Skips and Exudations, 



water it coagulates in two parts, one 

 solid, forming caoutchouc, or rubber; 

 the other in suspension with it, giving it 

 a milky colour, and consisting of albumi- 

 noid and other substances. 



The milk ferments quickly ; this we 

 believe is due to the albumen, and giving 

 off a smell of suphydrate of ammonia, 

 leaving the rubber intact, which gradu- 

 ally loses its colour through the develop- 

 ment of the fermentation. 



The Most Appropriate Time for 

 Taking the Milk. 



It is necessary to study the best time 

 for tapping from two different points of 

 view, principally :— 



1. To obtain the greatest quantity 

 of the product. 



2, Not to damage the plant for future 

 production. 



In all the plants the circulation takes 



place with more or less activity in 



accordance with the seasons and the 

 local climate. 



In cold climates the sap remains para- 

 lyzed during the winter season. In hot 

 and damp climates the sap is always in 

 activity, increasing the circulation as 

 the temperature rises, through the 

 accumulation of the vapours in the 

 atmosphere. 



In hot and dry climates, part of the 

 year the sap lies paralyzed on account of 

 the liquid necessary to serve as a vehicle 

 to the principal nutritives. 



In our country we look upon two 

 principal zones for the culture of Mani- 

 coba, one hot and dry, the other hot and 

 damp. 



In the first, the circulation of the sap 

 becomes active from October forward 

 until April. 



In the second, in spite of the rain in 

 June, the activity takes place from 

 September to January, the storm season. 



It is in this season, therefore, that the 

 ascending movement of the sap takes 

 place in the Manicoba with all activity, 

 carrying in solution the principles 

 which, on reaching the leaves have to 

 endure the action of the oxygen, so that 

 after they are elaborated, they descend, 

 renovating and creating new tissues, 

 surcharging itself with the principles in 

 excess, which are naturally expelled 

 through the bark by ruptures or by the 

 attack of insects. Therefore after one 

 or two months the plant is replete with 

 sap and with milk. 



Best Time for Collecting. 



The best time to commence taking 

 in "the hot and dry zone" is between 

 October and April, when the plant is in 

 full vigour, and rich in " elaborate " 

 principles establishing by the extraction 

 of milk as if a continuous action were 

 taking place by the defalcations and 

 obliging the plant to refill this want, 

 absorbing new elements and encounter- 

 ing with soil the Avater necessary for 

 this substitution. This cannot take 

 place from May to October, in which 

 season owing to the want of water neces- 

 sary to the vegetation, it cannot expel 

 with ease the very thick principles con- 

 tained in the laticiferous vessels. 



In the "hot and damp zone" where 

 the vegetation is always in activity, the 

 best season for collecting should be in 

 the summer, from September to January, 

 when the sap is "ripe." but in which 

 season there is no want of water from 

 the storms to give the necessary vehicle 

 to the nutritive principles and to the 

 materials which have to be excreted. 



Extraction of M[lk. 

 The only parts in the Manicoba which 

 can serve for the extraction of the milk 

 are roots and the branches ; the latter, 

 although they contain a great quantity 

 of milk, present many drawbacks to the 

 extraction, and endanger the life of the 

 plant. These drawbacks are : — 



1. The cuts, or any furrows made on 

 the bark, interrupt at these points 

 the circulation of the descending 

 sap. 



2. The great exposure to the sun ag- 

 gravates these wounds by a quick 

 drying up and by the rapid 

 coagulation of the milk. 



3. The difficulty in adapting the ves- 

 sels. 



In Manicoba the tap root is the part 

 which offers the greatest advantages to 

 the production of milk, both in abund- 

 ance, and the easy flow thereof, also 

 by the employment of the best methods 

 of extraction, and for giving an almost 

 continuous supply. 



Different Ways Employed in the 



Extraction of Milk. 

 First Process. — Dig the earth at the 

 side of the plant to the right or left, 

 leaving uncovered the vital knot and 

 tap root, by the help of a knife or any 

 other instrument of bone or horn, 

 pointed, work below the vital knot or 

 at the point of union of the branches 

 and roots, on the tap root or secondary 

 root; make a small orifice on the bark 

 lightly without touching the wood, raise 



