7 



Saps and Exudations. 



Washing the Rubber. — By the methods now adopted the foreign matters 

 are washed out of the latex before coagulation takes place, thus producing a very 

 high grade of rubber from the castilloa, having a marketable value equal to that of 

 Para. Until now it was generally assumed that the Central American Rubber was 

 of much inferior grade to that of Para. It has now been proved, however, that the 

 actual difference is very slight, if there is any, and resolves itself into tfce question 

 of preparing it for the market at the time of tapping. During the past few months 

 the best qualities of some rubber from cultivated castilloa trees brought $1.54 and 

 $1.56 gold per pound on the London market. This price was higher than that of best 

 South American Para sold at the same time. Mexican rubber from wild castilloa 

 trees and shipped in the old way already referred to was quoted at 60 and 65 cents 

 per pound, or less than one-half the price obtained for the same rubber prepared 

 according to modern methods. As it is necessary to treat the latex as soon as possi- 

 ble after it is collected from the tree, receiving stations should be established on a 

 large plantation, such as La Zacualpa, so as to avoid the transporation of the latex 

 to any great distance. — Ceylon Observer. 



RUBBER IN SOUTHERN INDIA. 



A planting correspondent of the Madras Mail refers as follows to the 

 rubber planting industry in Southern India : — 



Ficus elastica is certainly not a tree to plant amongst coffee or near 

 anything valuable, if one may judge from the Peradeniya trees. These com- 

 pletely occupy a large area with their roots, and are now showing signs of 

 decay. As, however, I understand they are getting on for 50 years old, there 

 would be time to exti'act a f ortune out of them if they contained it ; some 

 quicker-yielding trees, however, are preferable. Kicksia trees grow well in 

 S. India at 3,000 feet or so ; at Peradeniya it is found that they are so eaten by 

 caterpillars that nothing can be done with them. 



Vines and root rubbers need not be considered by those who can grow a tree 

 and, in considering which is the best to select of the above, I would certainly give the 

 award, as a general thing, to Para. It is, as far as I have seen, decidedly the hardiest 

 of all. Growing well at sea level, it maintains a good, paying growth, to at 

 any rate between 3,000 and 4,000 feet, and looks well and healthy at 4,700 feet 

 It resists ill-treatment wonderfully, and is practically unaffected, as far as I can 

 see, by excess of rain or severe drought ; whilst it is a useful shade for coffee 

 for a good term of years. Our ideas as to the height at which it can be pro. 

 Stably grown have steadily enlarged. In South India I have given measurements 

 of growth at 3,500 feet ; and I may mention that I have plants 6 feet high 

 from seed planted at stake, amongst coffee, in 1904. Mr. R. Wickham, when 

 on "the upper tributaries of the Amazon, in the natural habitat of the Hevea.'' 

 saw trees growing at "certainly over 4,000 feet;" and all he saw being tapped 

 were over 2,000 feet above the sea. The general opinion, however, was that it 

 does not pay to tap trees at over 3,000 feet. This was between 12° and 14° south. 

 The above is important, confirming as it does what I have previously stated 

 as to the profitable growth of Para at an elevation of several thousand fee* J 

 And, taking the opinion that "it does not pay to tap trees at over 3,000 feet," 

 what does this mean? We must remember the nature of the forest tapping, 

 where .trees are scattered and where, we are told, trees of 2 feet girth would 

 not be noticed as worth tapping, and only the widely scattered giants, giving 

 5 lbs. or more rubber, are selected. At over 3,000 feet these giants would be 

 comparatively rare and take much finding, but plantation conditions would make 



