and Magazine of the Ceylon Agricultural Society. 



time his system would be universally adopted. 

 By means of it, he claimed, translucent and ex- 

 tremely elastic rubber of a light amber colour is 

 produced. In this form it is much more suitable 

 for practical purposes than the rubber at pre- 

 sent obtained. There is nothing objectionable 

 in the new process, it is quite as cheap as the 

 old ones, and the rubber produced is much 

 superior, while the buyer will be able to ascer- 

 tain easily the actual amount of caoutchouc to 

 which be is entitled. — H. & C. Mail, Aug. 20. 



RUBBER IN GERMAN NEW GUINEA. 



The prospects of the production of rubber 

 and guttapercha in German New Guinea are 

 discussed in the " Frankfurter Zeitung " by 

 a correspondent, who states that the question 

 a6 to whether success will be met concerns 

 all interests, and that this depends upon 

 whether in course of time the millions of marks 

 expended for this purpose will yield the hoped- 

 for results, or whether they are to be con- 

 sidered as lost capital. During the past six 

 or seven years the planting of rubber trees 

 in New Guinea has proceeded on a large scale, 

 and there are at present about 500,000 trees, 

 covering a surface of approximately 3,000 

 acres. The progress of the plants has hitherto 

 shown that the climate promises well for 

 the trees which include Castilloa elastica, 

 Ficus elastica and Hevea brasiliensis. A 

 large number have not yet reached the age 

 for tapping, although about three tons were 

 harvested on the Stephansort plantation alone 

 in 1908, and the result of the tests is awaited 

 before proceeding with further extension of 

 the plantations. The quality of the rubber has 

 hitherto been regarded favourably. It is sug- 

 gested that a testing institution such as exists 

 in the Cameroons and German East Africa 

 should be established in New Guinea. The cul- 

 tivation of gutta-percha in New Guinea has so 

 far not been undertaken on a noteworthy scale, 

 but the existence of wild growing plants has 

 been determined by Dr. R Schlecter, although 

 it is improbable that they are of much im- 

 portance, as the trees are often situated miles 

 apart. As most of the trees are in the moun- 

 tainous districts it would scarcely be possible to 

 induce the natives to win and deal with the 

 product, and the work under European super- 

 vision would not be remunerative.— India- 

 Rubber Journal, Aug. 23. 



ASSAM RUBBER. 



The rubber of Ficus elastica is known to vary 

 in composition according to the age of the trees 

 from which it is collected : young trees affording 

 rubber with 20 to 30 per cent of resin and older 

 trees affording rubber with less than 10 per cent. 

 The comparatively large amount of resin in 

 Assam rubber depreciates it in the market, and 

 any means of improving the product, whether in 

 collecting it only from mature trees or special 

 treatment of the latex, would be welcomed by 

 the trade. An interesting series of rubbers from 

 Ficus elastica collected in Assam and ad jacent 

 provinces has been presented to the Museum by 



Mr. A T VVeruigg. These being representative 

 samples from different districts and from trees 

 of different ages, their analyses are important. 

 The first three samples were from the Govern- 

 ment Plantation at Charduar, from trees 33 years 

 of age, the fourth was from the Lushai Hills 

 from trees of 70 years of age, the sixth was from 

 the Mishmi Hills from old trees of 100 to 150 

 years of ago : — 



Water Caoutchouc Resins Proteids Ash. 



Charduar 



06 



83 



15-1 



l'O 



•4 





1-4 



8 VI 



li'5 



1-2 



•8 





2.8 



80-4 



13-4 



1-4 



2-0 



Lushai 



■i 



89'1 



8'8 



■7 



1-0 



Bhutan 



l-d 



83-1 



14'2 



■7 



1-0 



Mishmi 



1'3 



79'4 



16'6 



1-2 



1-5 



Average 



1-2 



83-4 



13-3 



1-0 



11 



Tho average analysis of the above six samples 

 may therefore be taken as typical of commercial 

 Assam rubber. The crude rubbers would suffer 

 a slight loss of woody particles in washing, 

 and making allowance for this, the Caoutchouc 

 content may be taken as not less than 80 per 

 cent. Uther samples of rubber are brought into 

 Assam from neighbouring districts. These are 

 collected in the forest by Native agency, and it 

 was presumed that they are from Ficus elastica, 

 but their composition is so good that probably 

 they are derived from aome other botanical 

 source. Onesample frm Bhutan and two from 

 tho Akha Hills were axamitied, and thoy were 

 found to yield 90 9, 89'9 and 92'8 per cent, of 

 caoutchouc and 49, 65 and 4'9 per cent, of 

 rosins. Such samples as these are of great 

 viilue, and it would be an advantage if their 

 supply could be carefully controlled. — Mr. D. 

 Hooper, F.O.S., in Calcutta Museum Report, 

 1903 9, Industrial Section. 



PALO AMARELLO RUBBER* 



A Poor Latex Producer. 



The Palo Amarillo tree was discovered a fev? 

 years ago on the slopes of the Sierra Madre, 

 and upon investigation it was found to be a 

 botanically unknown species. It is known in 

 Mexico under a number of common names, such 

 as palo amarillo, palo coloiado, papeillo and 

 cucuracho, the first mentioned nara6 being 

 generally used. It occurs in the dry semi- 

 tropic zone on the slopes of Sierra Madre, at 

 an elevation of 900 to 4,800 feet generally being 

 found above the oak zone, and frequently reach- 

 ing as high as the pine zone of the mountains. 

 It extends southwards from Durango to the 

 southern part of Oaxaca, along tho Pacific coast, 

 growing on rather poor, rocky or sandy volcanic 

 soil, ar.d it often forms a part of the xero- 

 phytic plant formations that have established 

 thomselves on the dry mountain sides. The tree 

 grows to a height of between 20 and 34 feet, with 

 a trunk diameter of from 7 to 12 inches. In the 

 inner bark of the stem and its branches occur 

 numerous latex-bearing vessels, containg a semi- 

 liquid fluid of milky whiteness, which solidifies 

 on contact with the air. Chemical examination 

 of this latex shows that it 



CONTAINS FROM 7'3 TO 157 PER CENT OF 

 RUBBER, 



and from 19 per cent upwards of resins. The 

 Uuiled Slates Consul at the city of Mexico 



