Gums, Resins* 



("October, 1908. 



shipped last year from one Mexican town 

 amounted to about 267,000 pounds, with- 

 out reference to what may have been 

 done in other parts of the republic. 



Now, this is more rubber than was 

 shipped from Ceylon in any year 

 pirior to 1906. It is more than was ship- 

 ped from Malaya in any year before that 

 date. It is more than all the rubber, 

 of whatever kind, shipped from Mexico 

 in the fiscal year 1897-98, and it has come 

 about so quietly that most persons who 

 read these lines probably will be sui'- 

 prL-ied. Yet these figures are larger 

 than those from the Far Bast which first 

 gave a " boom" to rubber planting over 

 there, and led to the formation of some 

 of the most prominent plantation com- 

 panies that have been capitalized in 

 England. 



One hundred and eighty tons or so of 

 rubber, consideied alone, is not of much 

 importance ; considered as the product 

 of planted Castilloa trees in Mexico, and 

 evidence that such trees can be cultivat- 

 ed profitably, it is a matter of very real 

 importance to the owners of several 

 millions of planted trees who have been 

 waiting for assurances that their money 

 has not been thrown away. We hope 

 that this latest intelligence will encour- 

 age more plantation managers in Mexico 

 to get in readiness to do some systematic 

 rubber tapping on a liberal scale- — 

 India Rubber World, Vol. XXXVIII., 

 No. 4, July, 1908. 



CEARA OR MANICOBA RUBBER 

 II.* 



Manner op Collecting the Rubber. 



Having finished the operations just 

 explained in the opening of the hole, and 

 the fixing of the receivers, &c, the work 

 consists of simply filling the receivers 

 with pure water or with the solution 

 which you had to employ. Continuing 

 thus, making the cuts quickly, substi- 

 tuting the water or solution when neces- 

 sary, every morning or as early as pos- 

 sible, while the temperature is still low, 

 make the "taps "as explained working 

 several at the same time ; continue this 

 work up till 9 or 10 a.m. on hot days. 



In the afternoon it is customary to 

 continue the collection by new "taps," it 

 is found more convenient, only in the 

 morning, leaving the collection of the 

 rubber, after several "taps "every two 

 days, according to the process which has 

 been adopted. 



* Translated from Edition : see dc Agricultura. 

 tSs ., Bahia II, 2, August, 1903. We are indebted 

 for the translation to Mr. D. A. Wetherall.— Editob. 



After the "tap" is made, after a short 

 delay the milk runs and after a while 

 coa gulates and closes the cut ; this time is 

 more or less prolonged, according to the 

 different causes, such as temperature, 

 repressing of the milk, &c. Should it be 

 necessary, clean off the coagulated rub- 

 ber from the cut so as to have a fresh 

 discharge of milk. 



After some amount has accumulated 

 in the basin it should be collected, then 

 tap again and place new water or solu- 

 tion in the basins. This rubber is taken 

 to the house still wet and placed in the 

 press, according to the process for mould- 

 ing and uniting the different fragments, 

 and thus enabling the rubber to be deli- 

 vered to the market in a neat manner, 

 —slabs of 1 centimetre thick are best so 

 as to avoid fraud. 



Use of the Press in the Preparation 

 of the Rubber for Delivering 



to the Market. 

 Owing to the rapid coagulation of the 

 milk and to the slight sweating, frac- 

 tioui/.ingthe collection, the use of presses 

 cannot be dispensed with so as to 

 unite the fragments in a body more 

 voluminous and endowed with advanta- 

 geous condition. By any of the pro- 

 cesses employed, the rubber obtained is 

 taken to the press still wet and fresh, 

 because in this state it is easier to unite 

 under the compression of the press. 



Any system of press may be employed, 

 so long, as its compressing powers are 

 sufficient, so that it can unite the frag- 

 ments in one solid body. Cylinders of 

 iron covered with wood may also be 

 employed, or even of wood with a grada- 

 tion in order to compress the rubber to 

 the thickness required. 



Use of Small Cups or Basins : how 

 they should be made and which 

 are Profitable. 



It is impossible to dispense with the 

 small cups. When a superior product is 

 required these small cups have to be 

 made accordiug to the process which 

 practice proves to be the best to be 

 adopted. 



If adopting the alum the cups cannot 

 be made of iron, nor of any metal 

 attached thereby ; neither can "tapping" 

 be done with a, steel instrument, because 

 it blackens the product. 



Also the form and material in which 

 they have to be manufactured diifer; 

 when they are destined for use on the 

 branches they must be made of light 

 material, if they are for the roots then 

 they may be made of heavy stuff. 



