288 



The Supplement to the Tropical Agriculturist 



SEPARATION OF RUBBER FROM 

 THE LATEX. 



Invention of a Tobago Planter.. 

 Prof. P Carmody, Director of Agriculture, 

 Trinidad, draws attention to a process which 

 has recently been devised for the rapid sepa- 

 ration of rubber from latex. The machine is 

 the invention of Mr Harry S Smith, a rubber- 

 planter in Tobago. The machine makes use of 

 the centrifugal principle with a peculiar adap- 

 tion of valves which admit of the escape of the 

 dark, watery liquid, whilst the machine is run- 

 ning at a high speed. It has been hitherto 

 used principally with Castilloa latex ; and those 

 who are familiar with the discoloration of this 

 rubber through contact with the watery liquid 

 for a short period, or during the drying process, 

 will appreciate the advantages of this rapid and 

 almost complete separation. With this machine 

 the rubber can be separated from the watery 

 liquid within 20 minutes, and the resulting layer 

 of rubber dried to less than 1 Der cent, of water. 

 It has only then to be subjected to the usual 

 curing process. Having had an opportunity of 

 working with this machine, the Professor is in a 

 position to add a few details to the description 

 given in the specification. In working, the 

 machine is set running and a known volume of 

 water is poured into the space between the outer 

 rim of the bowl and the canvas screen to form a 

 wall of water. The desired depth of tho wall 

 having been obtained, the latex fresh from the 

 field is diluted with a certain proportion of 

 water, and then slowly run into the middle of 

 the bowl. The speed is then rapidly increased, 

 and the machine run for about five minutes, by 

 which time the lighter rubber forms an inner 

 layer. The water can now be drawn oft', and 

 tho rubber made to rest on tho canvas screen, 

 then spinning at a still more rapid rate until 

 all the water has been removed. The rubber 

 layer may then be washed on the screen with 

 clean water, which is drawn off as before. Or 

 some of the watery liquid may be drawn off and 

 clean water added at intervals, until every trace 

 of the dark coloured liquid has been removed. 

 The rubber is then drawn on to the screen and 

 dried as before. By either method a nearly 

 white rubber is obtained, which darkens but 

 very slightly afterwards. 



An important advantage in this machine, accor- 

 ding to Prof. Oarmody, is that chemical solutions 

 can bo used for tho removal of tho resins, which 

 are present in largo quantity in Castilloa latex 

 from young trees.— India Rubber Journal, Aug. 22. 



INTENSIVE GARDENING FOR INDIA. 



While a great show has been made of intro- 

 ducing into India the latest forms or fads of 

 political energy, many of which are held by 

 experienced judges to be if not actually dange- 

 rous at least altogether premature, and while 

 happier effort has also been directed to the in- 

 troduction of mechanical energy in its vast and 

 varied forms, some of which have given an un- 

 doubted start to profitable industries, there is 

 one reform in an industry closely allied to in- 

 digenous pursuits, which are both familiar and 



profitable to the peasantry, that is strangely 

 neglected. That is intensive gardening. It is 

 quite true that no such grave crisis in the law of 

 demand and supply as those which have con- 

 vulsed some portions of Europe, and left none of 

 tbem wholly undisturbed, have yet invaded 

 India. The agricultural produce of the country 

 seems abundant enough for its wants, if one 

 may judge from the great and growing exports; 

 and indigenous fruit culture is also not wanting. 

 But a new industry has sprung up in the supply 

 of European fruit from suitable hill sites ; 

 and there can be little doubt that, if some of 

 the new methods of intensive Gardening were 

 applied to this kind of produce, not only might 

 its quantity be enhanced, but its quality 

 might also be improved ; and it is conceivable 

 that if success attended efforts of this kind, they 

 might be extended to the improvement of sup- 

 plies of Indian fruit, some of which are excellent 

 while others are open to great improvement. The 

 great task lying before Anglo-Indian statesman- 

 ship in this direction is not to minister to the 

 luxuries of the rich but to enrich, and enlargo 

 the comforts and convenience of, the poor. 

 The latest experiments in France, some of which 

 have been imported iuto England, show that if 

 the best improvements are expensive, some of 

 the newer methods of providing the glazed 

 frames, which serve so important a part in In- 

 tensive Gardening, involve considerably less ex- 

 penditure, when the fruit and vegetable pro- 

 duced are of wholesome edible quality, though 

 they may not reach the delicacy of flavour and 

 juiciness of some of the more expensive types. 

 It is these less expensive cultures which may be 

 introduced for the middle and poorer classes. 

 Not only does vegetarian diet form the bulk of 

 the food of the masses, and not only is there 

 room for tho introduction of cheap wholesomo 

 vegetable and fruit into the diet, but the grow- 

 ing domiciled population of pure or mixed do- 

 scent is being forced by the rising prices of tho 

 necessaries of life to resort to cheaper dieting, 

 and the modern belief in the superiority of vege- 

 tarian dieting in tropical climates has much to 

 recommend it.— Indian Engineering, Sept. 10. 



U. S. A. RUBBER IMPORTS. 



Official Figukes for the Fiscal Year 

 Ending June 30th, 1910. 



Imported from : 



1907-8. 



lb. 

 6,80:1,0 2 

 2,821,194 

 0,-83,473 



United Kingdom 

 Germany 

 Oilier liurope 

 Central American 



States and British 



Honduras 99?,19i 

 Mexico 9,209,44! 

 Biazil 32,015,173 

 Other South America 1,537,887 

 Kast Indies 1,237,487 

 Other Countries 30,083 



1903-9. 

 lb. 



12,8'?5,192 

 4,503,280 

 7,59S,S09 



S01, 036 

 15,400,305 

 43,903,070 

 1,904,114 

 1,127,0S0 

 , 25,137 



1909-10. 

 lb. 

 15,"ifl0,981 

 0,528,147 

 9,698,41 1 



1,424,449 

 2 ,480, 381 

 39,510,920 

 2,E03,083 

 2,419,951! 

 15,750 



62,233,1(0 88,359,895 101,044,681 



Old Rubber Scrap 10,331,035 20,497,695 37,364,671 

 One can well believe with theso figures that 

 the American manufacturer is not reduced to 

 starvation point for rubber, and that possibly 

 his assertion that he had more rubber on hand 

 this year than last is quite true. — I ndia-Rubber 

 Journal, Aug. 22. 



