THE 



TROPICAL AGRICULTUPJST 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF THE 



CEYLON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Vol. XXVII. COLOMBO, NOVEMBEE 15th, 1906. No. 5. 



The Price of Rubber. 



The general impression held in Ceylon, in spite of all efforts to remove it, 

 has been that Ceylon rubber has been getting the highest price on the market, 

 because, forsooth, a pound sells (at present) for 5s. 7d. against 5s. Id. for a pound 

 of fine Para. 



Those who make this statement forget the amount of water present in the 

 Amazon rubber and not present in the Ceylon. The former contains about 18 per 

 cent, the latter less than one. If now we do a very simple sum in proportion, the 

 value of the rubber in the samples from Ceylon and from Para is as to fj, or as 

 5494 to 6639. In other words, the value of Ceylon rubber is roughly only five-sixths 

 of that of the Amazon rubber, or 16 per cent less, 



No one who examined the samples of Amazon rubber at the Ceylon Rubber 

 Exhibition could fail to note two points: (1) that it was far 'springier' than the 

 plantation rubber (whether from Ceylon, the Straits, or Mexico), and (2) that it was 

 so wet as to be white and opaque or very little translucent, and smelt of creosote. 



As has already been said, now is the time to try experiments on curing of 

 rubber, and two directions are at once suggested by a consideration of the above. 

 If we make biscuits with creosote, aud press them while still wet into a block, we 

 shall save vastly in expense of preparation, and if while dry rubber is selling at 

 5s. 6d., we can get even 4s. lOd. for this, we shall really be getting a better price. 

 Smoking is also suggested, for it is possible that the quality of the Amazon rubber 

 is in some way dependent on the fact that it has been treated with smoke, 



The Peradeniya department has already arranged to make wet biscuit block 

 and have it sold in London for comparison, but as it is quite probable that buyers 

 will look askance at the first consignment of this novel form of rubber, it is desirable 

 that others should follow it. 



