December, 1910.] 



503 



Fibres: 



loses iu value, Sometimes bales weigh 

 about 40 kilos measuring 80 by 63 by 68 

 centimeters. The bale is usually covered 

 with gunny or matting. In Holland 

 they prefer mats, as the tare is less 

 variable; for Australia gunny is gener- 

 ally used. 



The Value op the Seed. 

 From the seed, oil is pressed or ex- 

 tracted which is used as a table oil and 

 for making soap. After takiug off the 

 skin, which weighs about 45 per cent, of 

 the weight of the seed, the seeds give 

 about 25 per cent, of oil. The residue is 

 a very gcod manure containing about 5 

 per cent, of nitrogen. The greater part 

 of the seed is not made into oil in 

 Java, but is exported, principally to 

 Marseilles. Where it is difficult to press 

 the oil out of the seed or to sell it, it is 

 usually ground into pulp and used for 

 manure. Tne skin of the seed can be 

 burned or put in heaps exposed to the 

 rain and the wind till all is rotten, and 

 then used as manure. It is always re- 

 commended to use such manure on kapok 

 plantations. 



Enemies op Kapok- 

 As yet kapok suffers little from diseases 

 or attacks by any insects. The most 



troublesome pest is the insect Batcoera 

 hector, which can kill the trees, but is 

 fortunately rare. The best way to fight 

 this insect is, as soon as one sees the holes 

 in the trees to try to catch it with a bit 

 of wire, or if this cannot be done, to put 

 a small quantity of benzine in the hole 

 and seal it up with clay. 



Sometimes the fruit is attacked by 

 another insect, Eavias jabia, but this is 

 more common in cotton. Also a red and 

 black bug, Dysdercus cingulatus some- 

 times attacks the fruit. 



Helopeltis sometimes attacks the leaves 

 but it is rare in kapok. In general so 

 far the damage to kapok by insects is 

 very small, whilst other diseases pro- 

 duced by fungi are unknown. Sometimes 

 damage is done by a parasite (Loran- 

 thacece Jav. pasilan) which nestles on the 

 branches and causes them to die. As 

 these parasites multiply very quickly bv 

 seed it is recommended to cut them out 

 regularly, also the ends of the branches 

 if they show signs of dying. The best 

 time for doing this is after the west 

 monsoon. 



The greatest damage is done by bats 

 which are very fond of the young fruit 

 when it is still fresh. 



DRUGS AND MEDICINAL PLANTS. 



JAVA COCA. 



(From the Chemist and Druggist, Vol. 

 LXXVII., No. 1601, October, 1910.) 



Reference has already been made in 

 the C. &, D. to Dr. de Jong's proposals 

 to monopolise the production of coca 

 and cocaine in Java. A recent number 

 of " Teysmannia" contains a letter that 

 Dr. de Jong has received from a corre- 

 spondent in Germany discussing the for- 

 mation of a Trust among the Coca 

 planters. The facts contained in the 

 letter are briefly as follows : The 

 world's consumption of cocaine is 

 12,000 to 15,000 kilos, per annum, a large 

 part of the raw material coming from 

 South America. Owing to lack of com- 

 bination among the producers there and 

 to the existence of an understanding 

 among the cocaine makers in Europe, 

 the price for crude South American 

 cocaine is practically controlled by the 

 latter, and has fallen in recent years 

 from m. 410 to m. 170 per kilo., calculated 

 on the actual cocaine present, and at the 

 moment the price is from m. 180 to m. 

 200 per kilo. This fall has been pro- 

 duced by the Cocaine Convention allow- 

 ing crude cocaine to accumulate until 



the producers were forced to sell at very 

 low rates. It is considered that the 

 same fate will overtake the Java 

 planters unless they take steps to pre- 

 vent a similar pressure being applied to 

 them. At present everything is favour- 

 able for joint action on the part of the 

 Java planters since the Convention of 

 Uocaine-manufacturers has dissolved, 

 and under present conditions South 

 America cannot compete with that 

 made from Java coca-leaves, so that 

 everything indicates that a combination 

 of Java planters could secure complete 

 control of the cocaine-market. This 

 state of things would best be brought 

 about by selling the cocaine made in 

 Java at m. 170 to m. 180 per kilo,, at 

 which price European makers could not 

 compete. A working agreement should 

 be made with the factory in Europe now 

 using Java leaves as a raw material. 

 Difficulties might be experienced with 

 one prominent Germau cocaine-maker 

 who owns coca plantations in Java, but 

 as his output of leaves does not meet 

 his own requirements, an arrangement 

 could probably be effected. Low prices 

 would have to be maintained tor a year 

 or eighteen months, but after that they 



