THE 



TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST 



AND 



MAGAZINE OF THE 



CEYLON AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Vol. XXVIII. COLOMBO, FEBRUARY 15th, 1907. No. 2. 



The Blocking of Wet Rubber. 



Some interest has been aroused by a circular published by the Peradeniya 

 Department on this subject during January, and it has met with a considerable 

 amount of criticism. The results were obviously of the crudest and most immature 

 kind, and people seem to have expected finished results. The object of early publi- 

 cation was to prevent planters from establishing large and expensive factories for 

 drying and otherwise mechanically treating rubber until it was certain that such 

 treatment was of real advantage. 



Even the one small shipment of wet block sent home seems to have disproved 

 this, and attention must be again called to the fact that it was taken home personally 

 by Mr. Brett, one of the judges at the recent Exhibition, who undertook to show it 

 to leading manufacturers and others, and it was on the strength of his cable that 

 the rubber was stronger, that it was considered worth while to publish results so 

 early. 



It must be pointed out that it this treatment comes in, the expense of, and 

 waste of time in, drying will disappear, besides that the rubber gets a higher price. 

 The speedier return, as against the fact that a lot of money lies idle in the drying 

 rubber, must also be remembered. 



The important point is the proof that the retention of water in the rubber 

 may be advantageous. It now remains, as pointed out in the circular, to determine 

 what is the best percentage of water to leave, and how best to leave always the 

 same percentage. 



